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salt lick

American  

noun

  1. a place to which animals go to lick naturally occurring salt deposits.

  2. a block of salt or salt preparation provided, as in a pasture, for cattle, horses, etc.


salt lick British  

noun

  1. a place where wild animals go to lick naturally occurring salt deposits

  2. a block of salt or a salt preparation given to domestic or farm animals to lick

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of salt lick

An Americanism dating back to 1735–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

In 2021, Seattle artist Aurora San Miguel made a salt lick shaped like one of the Elemental Stones seen in the 1997 science fiction film “The Fifth Element.”

From Seattle Times Aug. 29, 2023

The sure-footed climber has been observed hoofing up to 18 miles to get to a salt lick.

From Washington Post Oct. 17, 2022

Mountain goats, searching for salt, lick the rocks and dig in the dirt where humans have peed.

From Washington Times Aug. 30, 2020

Steven Seagal—the human salt lick known for playing Steve Seagal in progressive early 90s Hollywood fare like Under Siege, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, and On Deadly Ground—is not a good person.

From Golf Digest Sep. 27, 2017

A salt lick for the woods goats was hopefully tried, although Lake felt dubious about it.

From Space Prison by Tom Godwin

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