Meanings
present singular third person rubs salt in the wound · participle present rubbing salt in the wound · participle past rubbed salt in the wound · past rubbed salt in the wound · alternative rub salt in someone's wounds · alternative rub salt into the wound · alternative rub salt into the wounds
- idiomaticTo aggravate or exacerbate a physical or emotional injury.
To rub further salt into the wound, the narrow-gauge locomotives and rolling stock received the new corporate blue livery and double arrows logo.
2023 January 11, Richard Foster, “British Rail's weirdest railways...: Vale of Rheidol”, in RAIL, number 974, page 47Synonyms: add insult to injury, kick someone when they are down, twist the knife, rub it in, add fuel to the fire, add insult to injury, cap it all off, fan the flames
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo aggravate or exacerbate a physical or emotional injury.
Origin
Derived from the stinging sensation of salt deliberately being rubbed into an open, bleeding wound.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bengali কাটা ঘায়ে নুনের ছিটে
- কাটা ঘায়ে নুনের ছিটে (kaṭa ghaẏe nuner chiṭe)to make an injury feel worse
Chinese Mandarin 雪上加霜
- 雪上加霜 (xuě shàng jiā shuāng)to make an injury feel worse
Finnish vääntää veistä haavassa
- vääntää veistä haavassato make an injury feel worse
French remuer le couteau dans la plaie
- remuer le couteau dans la plaieto make an injury feel worse
German Salz in die Wunde streuen, den Finger in die Wunde legen
- Salz in die Wunde streuento make an injury feel worse
- den Finger in die Wunde legento make an injury feel worse
Greek ρίχνω αλάτι στην πληγή, ξύνω πληγές
- ρίχνω αλάτι στην πληγή (ríchno aláti stin pligí)to make an injury feel worse
- ξύνω πληγές (xýno pligés)to make an injury feel worse
Hebrew זָרָה מֶלַח עַל הַפְּצָעִים
- זָרָה מֶלַח עַל הַפְּצָעִים (zará mélakh al hap'tsa'ím)to make an injury feel worse
Hindi जले पर नमक छिड़कना
- जले पर नमक छिड़कना (jale par namak chiṛaknā)to make an injury feel worse
Hungarian sót dörzsöl a sebbe
- sót dörzsöl a sebbeto make an injury feel worse
Italian mettere il dito nella piaga
- mettere il dito nella piagato make an injury feel worse
Japanese 傷口に塩を塗る
- 傷口に塩を塗る (kizuguchi ni shio o nuru)to make an injury feel worse
Korean 불난 집에 부채질한다
- 불난 집에 부채질한다 (bullan jib-e buchaejilhanda)to make an injury feel worse
Norwegian strø salt i såret
- strø salt i såretto make an injury feel worse
Polish posypywać rany solą, posypać rany solą
- posypywać rany soląto make an injury feel worse
- posypać rany soląto make an injury feel worse
Portuguese esfregar sal na ferida, pôr o dedo na ferida
- esfregar sal na feridato make an injury feel worse
- pôr o dedo na feridato make an injury feel worse
Romanian a pune sare pe rană
- a pune sare pe ranăto make an injury feel worse
Russian сы́пать соль на ра́ну
- сы́пать соль на ра́ну (sýpatʹ solʹ na ránu)to make an injury feel worse
Spanish frotar sal en la herida, hurgar en la herida
- frotar sal en la heridato make an injury feel worse
- hurgar en la heridato make an injury feel worse
- meter el dedo en la heridato make an injury feel worse
- hechar sal en la heridato make an injury feel worse
Swedish strö salt i såren
- strö salt i sårento make an injury feel worse
Turkish yaraya tuz basmak
- yaraya tuz basmakto make an injury feel worse
Cite this entry
rub salt in the wound. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rub%20salt%20in%20the%20wound
“rub salt in the wound.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rub%20salt%20in%20the%20wound. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rub salt in the wound,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rub%20salt%20in%20the%20wound.
Source: rub salt in the wound on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.