with a grain of salt

Idioms  

1. Also, with a pinch of salt. Skeptically, with reservations. For example, I always take Sandy's stories about illnesses with a grain of salt—she tends to exaggerate. This expression is a translation of the Latin cum grano salis, which Pliny used in describing Pompey's discovery of an antidote for poison (to be taken with a grain of salt). It was soon adopted by English writers.

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Example Sentences

However, seasonal trends should always be taken with a grain of salt.

From MarketWatch

I would take this with a grain of salt; your mobile home may or may not increase in value by 100% over the next two decades.

From MarketWatch

“While it’s great to get this official BLS data back, I do take it with a grain of salt,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal

But investors took the data with a grain of salt.

From The Wall Street Journal

However, both of this week’s economic readings will be based on older data, due to the lingering effects of the government shutdown, and there is speculation that investors will take them with a grain of salt.

From MarketWatch