salt of the earth

English

Etymology

Calque of Ancient Greek τὸ ἅλας τῆς γῆς (tò hálas tês gês) in the Book of Matthew, chapter 5, verse 13.

Pronunciation

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Noun

salt of the earth

  1. (idiomatic) A person or group of people considered to represent the most decent and admirable parts of humanity.
    Antonym: scum of the earth
    People who are firm but fair, and fair but firm, are the salt of the earth.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 5:13:
      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.
    • 1986 May 15, George Vecsey, “Locals at Second Base”, in The New York Times‎[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 May 2015:
      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.
    • 2014 October 20, Barak Ravid, Noa Shpigel, “Body of Missing Israeli Found in Nepal”, in Haaretz‎[2], archived from the original on 5 June 2023:
      "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."

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