salt of the earth
noun
an individual or group considered as representative of the best or noblest elements of society.
QUIZZES
THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST
In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?
Question 1 of 10
seclusion
Origin of salt of the earth
1350–1400; Middle English; after Matthew 5:13
Words nearby salt of the earth
salt marsh, salt-marsh caterpillar, salt mine, saltness, Salto, salt of the earth, salt of the Earth, Ye are the, Salton Sea, salt out, salt pan, saltpeter
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for salt of the earth
Leno has staked his claim to the working-class, salt-of-the-earth demographic.
Cultural definitions for salt of the earth
salt of the Earth
Basic, fundamental goodness; the phrase can be used to describe any simple, good person: “I like Mary: she's reliable, trustworthy, and straightforward; she's the salt of the Earth.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers, who are mainly fishermen and other simple people, “Ye are the salt of the Earth.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
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