Chapter Salient Angles to Salt on His Tail of S by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

engaged in procuring it state that they obtain one bucket of salt for every five buckets of water. (Quebec Morning Chronicle.)

Salt Ring An attempt to monopolise the sale of salt by a ring or company which bought up some of the largest of our salt-mines.

Salt River To row up Salt River. A defeated political party is said to be rowed up Salt River, and those who attempt to uphold the party have the task of rowing up this ungracious stream. J. Inman says the allusion is to a small stream in Kentucky, the passage of which is rendered both difficult and dangerous by shallows, bars, and an extremely tortuous channel.

Salt an Invoice (To) is to put the extreme value upon each article, and even something more, to give it piquancy and raise its market value, according to the maxim, sal sapit omnia. The French have the same expression: as “Vendre bien salé” (to sell very dear); “Il me l'a bien salé” (He charged me an exorbitant price); and generally saler is to pigeon one.

Salt in Beer In Scotland it was customary to throw a handful of salt on the top of the mash to keep the witches from it. Salt really has the effect of moderating the fermentation and fining the liquor.

Salt in a Coffin It is still not uncommon to put salt into a coffin, and Moresin tells us the reason; Satan hates salt, because it is the symbol of incorruption and immortality. (Papatus, p. 154.)

Salt Losing its Savour “If salt has lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted?” If men fall from grace, how shall they be restored? The reference is to rock-salt, which loses its saltness if exposed to the hot sun.

“Along one side of the Valley of Salt (that towards Gibul) there is a small precipice about two men's lengths, occasioned by taking away of the salt. I broke a piece off that was exposed to the sun, rain, and air; though it had the sparks and particles of salt, yet it had perfectly lost its savour. The inner part, however, retained its saltness.”- Maundrel, quoted by Dr. Adam Clarke.

Salt on His Tail (Lay). Catch or apprehend him. The phrase is based on the direction given to small children to lay salt on a bird's tail if they want to catch it.

“His intelligence is so good, that were you to come near him with soldiers or constables, ... I shall answer for it you will never lay salt on his tail.”- Sir W. Scott: Redgauntlet. chap. xi.