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

[ruthyrubie1029]

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

@tinselfest

Actually you're the one who's wrong. People use different phrases in different ways. Clearly lots of people do use it in a patronising 'common but nice' kind of way as lots of us have testified to.

[quote timeforanewstart]@MerchantOfVenom but it has a meaning so if people use it incorrectly then they are wrong
If something has a meaning then it means just that , [/quote]
That just reads to me as if you don’t understand social nuancing.

Clearly lots of people use the term to be patronising. And lots of people equally interpret it that way.

veeeeh

I'm also from ROI.

I have only ever heard it describe someone who is a bit 'rough' but whose 'heart is in the right place'.

Doesn't it originally come from the bible? Something about Jesus's followers being pure and good and "salting the earth" in the same way that meat was preserved and kept good using salt?

Why have I kept this Sunday school lesson in mr head for 40+ hrs?!

Yes, it's from the Bible.

It would be a huge compliment where I’m from (South Wales). You’d be hard working, generous of spirit, full of humour, uplifting, and have your head screwed on.

That should have been 40+ YEARS

@WellTidy

It would be a huge compliment where I’m from (South Wales). You’d be hard working, generous of spirit, full of humour, uplifting, and have your head screwed on.

Just goes to show. It was used in my presence in Cardiff and definitely 100% meant 'common'.

I've always thought it meant dependable, a good sort. A good egg basically. It's a compliment.

@Thismustbelove

veeeeh

I'm also from ROI.

I have only ever heard it describe someone who is a bit 'rough' but whose 'heart is in the right place'.

I would disagree about the ROUGH bit, but it always sounded to me as a mega compliment to the person for being kind, no notions, just a nice helpful person with nothing expected in return. There are many of them out there.

I've heard it used both ways but if this is a real friend, definitely just a lovely compliment.

I always thought it meant reliable and honest. Decent. The dictionary agrees so there's that.

It's not uncommon for old expressions to get widely used mistakenly and change over time, though.

@stitchy

To be honest I've always found it deeply patronising, the sort of thing middle class people say about working class people. Essentially 'a bit rough but nice despite it'

This ^

I would not see this a compliment I would be internally fuming!

@MsTSwift

I would not see this a compliment I would be internally fuming!

Why? Have you not polished your corgies lately or what lol.

I would disagree about the ROUGH bit

I meant rough as in common not pushy. An ex colleague was frequently described as 'salt of the earth'. It was a very backhanded compliment.

Other people were described as 'really decent and trustworthy'.

Well if some people do think the phrase can be used in a negative way then it’s important to look at context. OP in Southern English in NI so therefore, due to her accent, is unlikely to be considered ‘rough’. It was said by a friend who is of a similar ‘social class’ (whatever that means in this day and age!). And it was said in NI where people/culture/society tend to be more religious and are more likely to be sticking to the original biblical meaning. Therefore probably not meant in a backhanded or patronising way.

It's a compliment - meaning that you are dependable, responsible and absolutely trustworthy. I suppose it COULD be used patronizingly, but I think it such a case it would be used of a whole group of people ('the servants/ private soldiers/ common people are the salt of the earth') - I've never heard it used in this way of an individual.

Class wars in UK. Was ever thus.

Anything North of Watford Gap is in the firing line. And don't go to Cornwall either.

Honestly, I have never come across a country with more hangups.

To some it has connotations of 'rough diamond'. To other it's just 'diamond'.

They're neither of them said as insults, though.

"I've never heard it used in this way of an individual."

I have though.

I’m Irish.

Wouldn’t use it to describe someone I like. Would take it to mean “she’s not bad, despite how she acts”.

@MsTSwift

Working class but won’t pinch the silver.

Ha this!

My (working class) Dad would regularly be described as salt of the earth and whilst it was always meant as a compliment it was always said by exactly the same sort of people. In fact we were playing a game one Christmas and I had to describe the phrase salt of the earth and said something along the lines of "phrase middle class people use to describe working class people who are rough but lovely" - and he got it straight away!

It was never used about my Mum who was just as lovely but decidedly more middle class.

Where I come from, South-East, it is a very positive thing to say about someone. They are the salt of the earth. One of a kind, in a good way...

I always wonder about the people who are so fixed and tbh arrogant that they apparently don’t understand language varies according to context, region, age.

So ‘salt of the earth’ means something good to you. Would you also insist until you are blue in the face that wee is urine, to a Scottish or Irish person, that fag is a cigarette to an American? Or would you actually accept that they are different in different contexts?