Friend called me "salt of the earth" - compliment or not?

[ruthyrubie1029]

I always thought it was patronising but said in a nice way??

My cousins went to private schools in Dublin, protestant but not st Columbas. My friend has kids in Irish speaking secondaries in Dublin which aren't fee paying. It's complicated!

I'm not in the UK and I'd find it patronising and a back handed compliment, depending on who said it and to who. To me it means down to earth country folk. It's slightly backhanded because it implies both the positive and negative stereotypes of country people - hard working and reliable, as well as not particularly smart and holding old fashioned political and social views (note I am not saying these stereotypes are true at all).

I feel the same way about the compliment reliable, it can go either way. If my boss wrote on my review that I was reliable I'd be happy. If a friend or my DH said it, I'd think "ouch! Couldn't you think of anything nicer?"

@DishingOutDone

Ah now I can shed a different light on this, round here we say it to mean people think they are very important, self aggrandising, big fish small pool. Its an "Eastenders" type of thing (fing) - "e's the salt a de erf". Almost like reverse snobbery?

Ahh! I just tried to say it the way you typed it and that is how I talk! I never realised

What's complicated about private schools in Dublin?

Some state schools like colaiste iosogain opposite ucd, they get better results than any private school and are very hard to get in to even if you went to a gaelscoil. It takes more than money to get in to some schools. Bit like tiffin school i suppose.

Compliment!

There isn't such a demand for private schools in Dublin.
Many state schools have an excellent record they are well funded by state as parents supply equipment books/stationary there is fundraising
too. My DC's school has excellent sports equipment and running track paid through fund raising.
It depends where you live a lot of the time the school reflects the area.

MsTSwift

Working class but won’t pinch the silver

it’s a term used towards working class. You know your place and don’t moan about it

I once once told I was salt of the earth by a much younger guy I was pregnant at the time and he said he thought I would be a great mum. He was being nice but I felt too young to be salt of the earth type