Dumbass Sayings: “Take That with a Huge Grain of Salt”

Sometimes people say “My wife told me she wouldn’t sleep with other men anymore so you can take that with a HUGE grain of salt!” They’re trying to say “Take it with a grain of salt” which communicates skepticism. The origin of that phrase comes from olde tyme recipes for bullshit poison antidotes that included “a grain of salt.” So taking something with a grain of salt means treat it like it’s a lie because it’s ridiculous to think that a grain of salt could be significant enough to make something an effective potion. However, when someone tries to get fancy and says “Take that with a HUGE grain of salt” that’s starting to change what the saying is. The saying is usually always “a grain” or “a pinch” of salt, indicating a very minimal amount of salt. When you talk about a huge grain of salt how big of a grain are we talking about? First off, how big can a grain get? Why even bother applying adjectives like huge to a grain of salt? And if you’re talking about a giant salt rock then it’s ruining the saying. Taking something with a boulder of salt would actually mean there’s something substantial there. That would mean you should take what the person is saying seriously, which is the opposite of what “take with a grain of salt” is supposed to mean.

"Huge grain" is an oxymoron.