with a pinch of salt

with a pinch 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 pinch of salt. Read whatever that paper publishes with a pinch of salt—it's really just a trashy tabloid.
See also: of, pinch, salt
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • a grain of salt
  • on the grapevine
  • on/through the grapevine
  • through the grapevine
  • draw a veil over
  • draw a veil over (something)
  • draw a veil over something
  • cast a veil over (something)
  • cast/draw/throw a veil over something
  • rumor monger
References in periodicals archive
Dust the tortilla chips with a pinch of salt and a pinch of paprika and enjoy alongside it.
While the soup is cooking, mix the flour and water in a bowl with a pinch of salt and a pinch of paprika to form a dough.
Once hot, add the chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper and fry until all sides are more or less seared.
Whisk the eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt and At the weekend I love to make something special, like my healthy pancake recipe.
Yet even as this programme promises to wade through the conflicting health evidence we are bombarded with daily, you might be inclined to take all their research findings with a pinch of salt, because we know from bitter experience there is every possibility they will be telling us something completely different in the not-too-distant future.
But even as this programme promises to wade through the conflicting health evidence we're bombarded with daily, you might be inclined to take all their research findings with a pinch of salt, because we know from bitter experience there's ossibility that they'll be telling us something completely different in the not-too-distant future.
In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks; stir one fourth of the whites into the egg yolks, then fold the remaining whites into the yolks gently, just until they are incorporated.
But even as this programme promises to wade through the conflicting health evidence we're bombarded with daily, you might be inclined to take all their research findings with a pinch of salt, because we know from bitter experience there's every possibility that they'll be telling us something completely different in the not-too-distant future.
In a pan, gently warm the cream with a pinch of salt (this helps the chocolate flavour), and when it's just about to boil, remove from the heat, add the chocolate and whisk until completely smooth.
In a small pan saut the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and pepper and a little butter, add broad beans and warm through.
Serves 4 Handful fresh coriander, chopped 1 red onion, finely sliced ' tsp curry powder 150g milk 75g single cream 1 tomato, diced 1 tsp garlic, minced 100g grated cheddar cheese 2 medium eggs 150g plain flour 75g salted butter, cubed Salt and pepper to taste Method To make the pastry, sift the flour with a pinch of salt in a large bowl.