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

See Examples For:

with a grain of salt

So although it’s always worth taking them with a grain of salt, last night’s bigger loser was betting markets, whose predictive power in Wisconsin was effectively zero.

From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026

Take all this lamentation with a grain of salt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

"People using a photo-based tracking app without adjusting the portions or entering the amounts of food should take the results with a grain of salt," said Hengist.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

With a lockout widely expected to start Dec. 1 and no guarantee of an agreement in time to preserve the 2027 season, take MLB’s schedule announcement Thursday with a grain of salt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Since Rose-Ivy took everything she heard with a grain of salt, she didn’t think the story about the haint made sense.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney