Rub Salt in the Wound
What it means
Make an injury worse by drawing attention to it, quite often on purpose.
Where it comes from
Salt really was packed into wounds, since it draws out moisture and most bacteria cannot survive in it. The treatment worked well enough to persist and hurt enough to become a metaphor.
The puzzle it came from
Rub Salt in the Wound was the answer to the Phrasicle of July 15, 2025. The clue read ____ ____ in the ____, and the words came out of a grid where every neighbouring pair makes a two-word phrase.
Play today's Phrasicle Play the July 15, 2025 puzzle
Show the solved grid (this spoils the July 15, 2025 puzzle)
sky
high
jump
rope
ladder
belly
rub
down
town
square
court
battle
wound
care
taker
kiddie
pool
table
salt
mine
Phrasicle: Rub Salt in the Wound