Rub Salt in the Wound.
English
idiom
To make someone's bad situation worse or remind them of their pain.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To make someone's bad situation worse or remind them of their pain.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To make a painful or difficult situation even worse, especially by drawing attention to it or adding another layer of hurt.
Rubbing salt in the wound means saying or doing something that aggravates an already bad experience.
"Twist the Knife"
—
Very similar — making something worse; twisting the knife implies more deliberate cruelty
"Add Insult to Injury"
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Also means making things worse — nearly identical; rubbing salt in the wound feels more physical and vivid
"Rub Salt in the Wound"
—
Making an already painful situation even worse, often through a careless or cruel action
Did you hear they're moving the team to a smaller office right after the pay freeze?
That's rubbing salt in the wound. The timing couldn't be worse.
She criticised my presentation right after I told her I was already upset about it.
That's rubbing salt in the wound. She should have read the room.
What made the loss so hard to take?
The ref gave a penalty in extra time. Rubbed salt in the wound after we'd played so well.
