worth their salt

== English == === Etymology === First attested in 1805. Perhaps referencing the derivation of the word salary from Latin sal (“salt”), which is correct (though the related idea that soldiers were paid in salt is not). Or more generally from the fact that salt was a fairly valuable commodity in pre-modern times. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈwɜːθ wʌnz ˈsɒlt/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈwɝθ wʌnz ˈsɔlt/, /-sɑlt/ === Adjective === worth one's salt (not comparable) (idiomatic) Adept or competent, especially at one's occupation. Synonym: worth one's weight in salt ==== Related terms ==== not worth salt ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === “(to be) worth one’s salt” under “salt, n.1”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1909. “worth one’s salt, phrase”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.