[Idiom] RUB SALT IN THE WOUND. - How to Avoid Making Someone's Bad Situation Worse
Rub salt in the wound.
worsen pain
To 'Rub salt in the wound' means to make a difficult situation even more painful or to remind someone of something upsetting. The origin springs from the old practice where salt was literally used to clean wounds, causing considerable pain. In conversations, this idiom highlights the insensitivity or cruelty of bringing up hurtful matters during arguments or discussions – as if metaphorically pouring salt on fresh emotional injuries.
Example Sentences
She started criticizing him too, really rubbing salt in the wound.
She started criticizing him too, making the unpleasant situation even worse.
Losing the game was hard enough, but losing by a large margin rubbed salt in the wound.
Losing the game was bad enough, but losing by a large margin made it even more painful.
When his old boss offered him his job back with a lower salary, it felt like rubbing salt in the wound.
When his old boss offered him his job back with a lower salary, it made the situation even worse.