2 N‑UNCOUNT Salsa is a type of dance music especially popular in Latin America. □ A band played salsa, and spectators danced wildly.
salt ◆◇◇ /sɔː lt/ (salts , salting , salted )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Salt is a strong-tasting substance, in the form of white powder or crystals, which is used to improve the flavour of food or to preserve it. Salt occurs naturally in sea water. □ Season lightly with salt and pepper. □ …a pinch of salt.
2 VERB When you salt food, you add salt to it. □ [V n] Salt the stock to your taste and leave it simmering very gently. ● salt|ed ADJ [usu ADJ n] □ Put a pan of salted water on to boil.
3 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Salts are substances that are formed when an acid reacts with an alkali. □ The rock is rich in mineral salts.
4 → see also Epsom salts , smelling salts
5 PHRASE If you take something with a pinch of salt , you do not believe that it is completely accurate or true. □ The more miraculous parts of this account should be taken with a pinch of salt.
6 PHRASE If you say, for example, that any doctor worth his or her salt would do something, you mean that any doctor who was good at his or her job or who deserved respect would do it. □ Any coach worth his salt would do exactly as I did.
7 PHRASE If someone or something rubs salt into the wound , they make the unpleasant situation that you are in even worse, often by reminding you of your failures or faults. □ To rub salt in the wounds, the bankers got big bonuses as the rest of us struggled to make ends meet.
sa lt cel|lar (salt cellars ) N‑COUNT A salt cellar is a small container for salt with a hole or holes in the top for shaking salt onto food. [BRIT ] in AM, use salt shaker
sa lt|ed ca ra|mel (salted caramels ) N‑VAR Salted caramel is a soft sweet food made from heated sugar and butter or cream, with salt added as a flavouring. □ He makes shortbread topped with salted caramel. □ …chocolate soufflé with salted caramel sauce. □ …a box of salted caramels.
salt|ine /sɔːltiː n/ (saltines ) N‑COUNT A saltine is a thin square biscuit with salt baked into its surface. [AM ]
sa lt marsh (salt marshes ) N‑VAR A salt marsh is an area of flat, wet ground which is sometimes covered by salt water or contains areas of salt water.
sa lt shak|er (salt shakers ) N‑COUNT A salt shaker is the same as a salt cellar . [mainly AM ]
sa lt wa |ter also saltwater N‑UNCOUNT Salt water is water from the sea, which has salt in it.
salty /sɔː lti/ (saltier , saltiest ) ADJ Something that is salty contains salt or tastes of salt. □ …a cool salty sea breeze. ● salti|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] The saltiness of the cheese is balanced by the sweetness of the red peppers.
sa|lu|bri|ous /səluː briəs/
1 ADJ A place that is salubrious is pleasant and healthy. [FORMAL ] □ …your salubrious lochside hotel.
2 ADJ Something that is described as salubrious is respectable or socially desirable. [FORMAL ] □ …London's less salubrious quarters.
salu|tary /sæ ljʊtəri, [AM ] -teri/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A salutary experience is good for you, even though it may seem difficult or unpleasant at first. [FORMAL ] □ It was a salutary experience to be in the minority.
salu|ta|tion /sæ ljʊte I ʃ ə n/ (salutations ) N‑COUNT [oft in/of N ] Salutation or a salutation is a greeting to someone. [FORMAL ] □ Jackson nodded a salutation. □ The old man moved away, raising his hand in salutation.
sa|lute /səluː t/ (salutes , saluting , saluted )
1 VERB If you salute someone, you greet them or show your respect with a formal sign. Soldiers usually salute officers by raising their right hand so that their fingers touch their forehead. □ [V n] One of the company stepped out and saluted the General. □ [V ] I stood to attention and saluted. ● N‑COUNT [oft in N ] Salute is also a noun. □ The soldier gave the clenched-fist salute. □ He raised his hand in salute.
2 VERB To salute a person or their achievements means to publicly show or state your admiration for them. □ [V n] I salute him for the leadership role that he is taking.
sal|vage /sæ lv I dʒ/ (salvages , salvaging , salvaged )
1 VERB [usu passive] If something is salvaged , someone manages to save it, for example from a ship that has sunk, or from a building that has been damaged. □ [be V -ed] The team's first task was to decide what equipment could be salvaged. □ [V -ed] The investigators studied flight recorders salvaged from the wreckage.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Salvage is the act of salvaging things from somewhere such as a damaged ship or building. □ The salvage operation went on. □ …the cost of salvage.
3 N‑UNCOUNT The salvage from somewhere such as a damaged ship or building is the things that are saved from it. □ They climbed up on the rock with their salvage.
4 VERB If you manage to salvage a difficult situation, you manage to get something useful from it so that it is not a complete failure. □ [V n] Officials tried to salvage the situation.
5 VERB If you salvage something such as your pride or your reputation, you manage to keep it even though it seems likely you will lose it, or you get it back after losing it. □ [V n] We definitely wanted to salvage some pride for British tennis.