grain

a grain of mustard seed

A small or seemingly insignificant thing that has the potential to grow or develop into something vast or formidable. Originating from the Parable of the Mustard Seed in the Bible (in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke), describing how the Christian faith spreads and flourishes from small beginnings. Every child is a grain of mustard seed—at once relatively small in the scope of the world, but having within them the power to shape the very course of human existence.
See also: grain, mustard, of, seed

a grain of salt

Reservations or the understanding that some rumor or piece of information may not be completely true or accurate. Possibly a reference to an ancient Roman antidote to poison that included or consisted of a grain of salt. I heard that you can get a free movie ticket if you wear red, but Kevin told me that, so I'm going to take it with a grain of salt. Read whatever that paper publishes with a grain of salt—it's really just a trashy tabloid.
See also: grain, of, salt

against the grain

1. In the opposite way or perpendicular to the direction of the fibers of a piece of wood (or meat), i.e. its "grain." Don't cut that wood against the grain, or it will be rough around the edges. For most cuts of steak, cookbooks recommend cutting against the grain.
2. By extension, in opposition or contrary to what is generally understood, assumed, practiced, or accepted. The artist always tried to go against the grain, ignoring the artistic trends of her day.
See also: grain

ain't got a grain of sense

Is very foolish or lacking common sense. Jimmy almost crossed the street without looking up from his cell phone. He ain't got a grain of sense!
See also: grain, of, sense

go against the grain

To do something or be in opposition or contrary to what is generally understood, assumed, practiced, or accepted. The artist always tried to go against the grain, ignoring the artistic trends of her day.
See also: go, grain

grain of truth

A little bit of truth. Often used to refer to a small amount of insight or truth in something otherwise false or nonsensical. The only reason why Dave's joke about my love life bothered me so much is because there was a grain of truth to it.
See also: grain, of, truth

separate the wheat from the chaff

To separate the good or valuable from that which is inferior. With so many manuscripts arriving daily, it's a challenge to separate the wheat from the chaff and spot the really exceptional ones.
See also: chaff, separate, wheat

take (something) with a grain of salt

To consider or evaluate something, such as a statement, with the understanding that it may not be completely true or accurate, typically due to the unreliability of the source. I heard that you can get a free movie ticket if you wear red, but Kevin told me that, so I'm going to take it with a grain of salt. Take whatever that paper publishes with a grain of salt—it's really a tabloid.
See also: grain, of, salt, take

there's a grain of truth in every joke

Something that one jokes about may come from something that they truly believe. I know she said she was joking about being depressed, but I'm concerned—there's a grain of truth in every joke. A: "Oh come on, I was only joking! I would never do something like that!" B: "So you say, but there is a grain of truth in every joke."
See also: every, grain, joke, of, truth

with a grain of salt

With reservations or the understanding that some rumor or piece of information may not be completely true or accurate. Possibly a reference to an ancient Roman antidote to poison that included or consisted of a grain of salt. I heard that you can get a free movie ticket if you wear red, but Kevin told me that, so I'm going to take it with a grain of salt. Read whatever that paper publishes with a grain of salt—it's really just a trashy tabloid.
See also: grain, of, salt
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

*against the grain

 
1. Lit. across the alignment of the fibers of a piece of wood. (*Typically: be ~; Cut ~; go ~; run ~; saw ~.) You sawed it wrong. You sawed against the grain when you should have cut with grain. You went against the grain and made a mess of your sanding.
2. Fig. running counter to one's feelings or ideas. (*Typically: be ~; go ~.) The idea of my actually taking something that is not mine goes against the grain.
See also: grain

ain't got a grain of sense

 and ain't got a lick of sense
Rur. is or are foolish. Mary spends money like there's no tomorrow. She sure ain't got a grain of sense. I wouldn't trust Jim to take care of my kids. He ain't got a lick of sense.
See also: grain, of, sense

(a) grain of truth

even the smallest amount of truth. The attorney was unable to find a grain of truth in the defendant's testimony. If there were a grain of truth to your statement, I would trust you.
See also: grain, of, truth

separate the wheat from the chaff

Prov. to separate what is useful or valuable from what is worthless. When it comes to books, time will separate the wheat from the chaff. Good books will have lasting appeal, and the rest will be forgotten. The managers hoped that the new procedure for evaluating employees would separate the wheat from the chaff.
See also: chaff, separate, wheat

take something with a pinch of salt

 and take something with a grain of slt
Fig. to listen to a story or an explanation with considerable doubt. You must take anything she says with a grain of salt. She doesn't always tell the truth. They took my explanation with a pinch of salt. I was sure they didn't believe me.
See also: of, pinch, salt, take
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

against the grain

Opposed to one's inclination or preference, as in We followed the new supervisor's advice, though it went against the grain. This metaphor refers to the natural direction of the fibers in a piece of wood, called its grain; when sawed obliquely, or "against the grain," the wood will tend to splinter. [c. 1600] For a synonym, see rub the wrong way.
See also: grain

with a grain of salt

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.
See also: grain, of, salt
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

separate the wheat from the chaff

or

separate the grain from the chaff

If you separate the wheat from the chaff or separate the grain from the chaff, you decide which things or people in a group are good or necessary, and which are not. The first two rounds of the contest separate the wheat from the chaff. Judges should not forget that when you separate the wheat from the chaff, you should try to keep the wheat. Note: You can use sort or sort out instead of separate. It's up to Wilkinson to sort out the wheat from the chaff and get the team back to the top of the table. Note: You can refer to the good or necessary things or people in a group as wheat or grain, and to the others as chaff. There's so little wheat in all this chaff. Was there rather less grain than chaff? Note: `Chaff' refers to the outer covers of wheat or other cereal which are separated from the grain by a process called winnowing. In the Bible (Matthew 3:12; Luke 3:17), John the Baptist uses the image of someone separating the wheat from the chaff to describe how Jesus will separate those who go to heaven from those who go to hell.
See also: chaff, separate, wheat

go against the grain

COMMON If an idea or action goes against the grain, it is the opposite from what you feel is right or normal and you find it difficult to accept. It goes against the grain to pay more for a product that you know is inferior. The decision not to have children somehow goes against the grain. Note: Something can also run against the grain. It runs against the grain to force your child to leave home. Note: The grain of a piece of wood is the direction of its fibres. It is easier to cut or plane wood along the direction of the grain, rather than across it.
See also: go, grain

take something with a pinch of salt

mainly BRITISH or

take something with a grain of salt

mainly AMERICAN
COMMON If you say that someone should take some information with a pinch of salt, you mean that they should not believe it completely because it may not all be accurate or true. Reports from the authorities that the situation is calm should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt. You have to take these findings with a grain of salt because respondents in attitude surveys tend to give the answers they feel they should. Note: A pinch of salt is a small amount of salt held between your thumb and your first finger. Some people believe that this expression refers to the King of Pontus, Mithridates VI, who lived in the first century BC. It is said that he made himself immune to poison by swallowing small amounts of it with a grain of salt. However, other people think that it is a medieval English expression, which suggests that you need to be suspicious of unlikely stories in the same way that you need salt with food.
See also: of, pinch, salt, something, take
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

against the grain

contrary to the natural inclination or feeling of someone or something.
This phrase alludes to the fact that wood is easier to cut along the line of the grain than across or against it.
See also: grain

a grain of mustard seed

a small thing capable of vast development.
Black mustard seed grows to a great height. In Matthew 13:31–2 it is stated that ‘mustard seed…indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs’.
See also: grain, mustard, of, seed

take something with a pinch (or grain) of salt

regard something as exaggerated; believe only part of something.
1998 Bookseller Meanwhile…readers should take the quotes they see with a pinch of salt.
See also: of, pinch, salt, something, take

separate (or sort) the wheat from the chaff

distinguish valuable people or things from worthless ones.
Chaff is the husks of corn or other seed separated out when the grain is winnowed or threshed. The metaphorical contrast between wheat and chaff is drawn in several passages in the Bible, for example in Matthew 3:12: ‘he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire’.
See also: chaff, separate, wheat
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

be/go against the ˈgrain

be or do something different from what is normal or natural: Voting for the Liberal Party goes against the grain with him. He’s voted Conservative all his life. It goes against the grain for her to spend a lot of money on clothes.
The grain is the natural direction of lines in a piece of wood.
See also: go, grain

take something with a pinch of ˈsalt

(informal) not believe everything somebody says: She told me she knew people in the movie industry, but I took that with a pinch of salt. I take everything he says with a large pinch of salt. OPPOSITE: take something as/for gospel/gospel truth
See also: of, pinch, salt, something, take
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

against the grain

Contrary to custom, one's inclination, or good sense.
See also: grain

with a grain of salt

With reservations; skeptically: Take that advice with a grain of salt.
See also: grain, of, salt
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

against the grain, to go

“There was something about Prohibition that went against the American grain,” a high school history teacher once said, quite innocent of her pun on this phrase, which means contrary to expectations, custom, or common sense. The literal meaning, against the natural direction of the fibers in a piece of wood, was turned figurative by Shakespeare in Coriolanus (“Preoccupied with what you rather must do than what you should, made you against the grain to voice him consul”). By the time Dickens used it in Edwin Drood (1870) it probably was already a cliché.
See also: go

with a grain/pinch of salt, (to take)

Not to be believed entirely; to be viewed with skepticism. This term comes from the Latin cum grano salis, which appeared in Pliny’s account of Pompey’s discovery of an antidote against poison that was to be taken with a grain of salt added (Naturalis Historia, ca. a.d. 77). The term was quickly adopted by English writers, among them John Trapp, whose Commentary on Revelations (1647) stated, “This is to be taken with a grain of salt.”
See also: grain, of, pinch
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • a grain of mustard seed
  • mustard
  • seed
  • dinky
  • build (something) on sand
  • build on sand
  • great oaks from little acorns grow
  • Great oaks from little acorns grow, and Mighty oaks from little ...
  • great/tall oaks from little acorns grow
  • stony
References in periodicals archive
Sumitomo acquired Emerald Grain in 2014 as a strategic move to connect Emerald's unrivalled position in the grain market in Australia, with Sumitomo's strong position across the world stage.
Emerald Australia
Enriched grains are refined grains that have had some nutrients put back in.
Finding the Healthiest Whole-Grain Products: Fiber, B vitamins, and essential minerals are just some of the nutrients you will get from whole grains
It is the ratio of grain yield per meter by biological yield per meter length.
ESTIMATION OF CORRELATION AND PATH COEFFICIENT OF SOME AGRONOMICALLY IMPORTANT POLYGENIC TRAITS IN TRITICUM AESTIVUM L
The popularity of whole grains is rising, however, according to the 2016 Food and Health Survey conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based International Food Information Council Foundation.
Whole Grains Rising
* Read the ingredients and make sure that a whole grain is among the first items on the list.
Get the most out of your whole grains
The Sioux Falls Brewery is gone now, but with the increase in the number of brewpubs and small breweries in the United States, the practice of farmers supplementing their feed with brewery spent grains (BSG) is growing.
Spent grains for livestock feed: turn spent brewery grains into filling and nutritious feed for your livestock: according to the Brewers Association, the number of U.S. craft breweries have increased by over 3,000 in the last 20 years
* Adults who consumed a grain pattern largely made up of cereals, pasta/cooked cereals/rice and mixed grains had a better overall diet quality compared to adults who consumed no main grain foods.
Research links grain consumption to weight benefits
The load of 47.0 grains shown for the 55-grain Nosier Ballistic Tip is only a half-grain over the starting load, but recoil and noise are modest, accuracy is top drawer and the power level is plenty for coyotes.
Power to burn; Hodgdon's IMR 4007 SSC propellant proves its worth across an all-American assortment of hunting cartridges
Bread crumb structure--cell size and elongation--was not affected by grain maturity.
Immature grain content may hurt wheat bread-making quality
But, in addition to focusing on the process of introducing the master alloy, we also would like to know if the final casting has fine grains. This metalcaster was not performing testing to validate grain size in its castings, so there wasn't a way to know if the grain refiner addition process was producing the finer grains desired in the castings.
Casting answers & advice
The FDA has not defined "whole grain," so you may find some packages with misleading labels.
Nutrition hotline
The grain required to fill a twenty-five gallon SUV gas tank with ethanol will feed one person for a year.
Starving for gas?
For example, GM learned a tough lesson on just how important the details of grain, color, material, and gloss really are a few years ago, when Cadillac introduced the CTS, the first model in the brand's attempt to recapture the attention of younger, affluent buyers around the globe.
The inside story: why interiors matter; Not so long ago, being assigned to an interior design program for a Big Three vehicle was not unlike being put in a penalty box, at least compared to the people assigned to doing exteriors. But driven by the need to catch up to the likes of Audi and Scion, all that's changing
Meanwhile, "whole grain" claims have been popping up on labels of foods that may (or may not) deliver the goods.
Whole grains: the inside story
"The magnitude of the problem will continue to grow because we expect that by the end of the decade, grain production could reach 100 million tons," he says.
Running rings: as grain exports grow in Argentina, so do calls for new investments in logistics