salt of the earth en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Calque of Ancient Greek τὸ ἅλας τῆς γῆς (tò hálas tês gês) in the Book of Matthew, chapter 5, verse 13.
Meanings
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(idiomatic) A person or group of people considered to represent the most decent and admirable parts of humanity.
People who are firm but fair, and fair but firm, are the salt of the earth.
"When someone dies, especially when a life is cut short under tragic circumstances, people always say, 'they were great, they were the salt of the earth,'" said Hagit Hornstein, a friend and colleague of Cherkesky. "But Michal [Cherkesky] really was perfect. There's no other word to describe her, an angel. I miss her already."
2014 October 20, Barak Ravid, Noa Shpigel, “Body of Missing Israeli Found in Nepal”, in Haaretz, archived from the original on 05 Jun 2023:Dodger fans, convinced they were the salt of the earth, would swear they could tell a Yankee fan from 20 paces by a lack of humor, or a New York Giant fan by an overbearing quality.
1986 May 15, George Vecsey, “Locals at Second Base”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 May 2015:Yee are the ſalt of the earth: But if the ſalt haue loſt his ſauour, wherewith ſhall it bee ſalted: It is thencefoꝛth good foꝛ nothing, but to be caſt out, and to be troden vnder foote of men.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 5:13:
Antonyms
Relateds
down-to-earth · earthy · worth one's salt
Translations (25)
pt sal da terra (a decent, dependable person) · ro sarea pământului (a decent, dependable person) · xcl աղ երկրի (a decent, dependable person) · ru соль земли́ (a decent, dependable person) · es sal de la tierra (a decent, dependable person) · he מלח הארץ (a decent, dependable person) · ja 地の塩 (a decent, dependable person) · sv Jordens salt (a decent, dependable person) · ca sal de la terra (a decent, dependable person) · fr sel de la Terre (a decent, dependable person) · de Salz der Erde (a decent, dependable person) · ota ملح (a decent, dependable person) · fi maan suola (a decent, dependable person) · ar ملح الأرض (a decent, dependable person) · th เกลือแห่งแผ่นดินโลก (a decent, dependable person) · cy halen y ddaear (a decent, dependable person) · th คนดี (a decent, dependable person) · fi kunnon ihminen (a decent, dependable person) · th เกลือแห่งโลก (a decent, dependable person) · ang eorþan sealt (a decent, dependable person) · cmn 好人 (a decent, dependable person) · la sal terrae (a decent, dependable person) · pl sól ziemi (a decent, dependable person) · it sale della terra (a decent, dependable person) · ko 세상의 소금 (a decent, dependable person)