English

Alternative forms

• rub salt in someone's wounds, rub salt into the wounds

Verb

rub salt in the wound

1. (idiomatic) To make an injury, physical or emotional, feel worse.

Usage notes

• For rub, one can substitute verbs such as add, pour, put, possibly requiring a change in the preposition in.
• See salt in the wound for variations in that portion of the expression.

Synonyms

• add insult to injury
• kick someone when they are down
• twist the knife

Translations