At one of our last golf outings, like always, we sat down to have a few beers after our round. All of us are retired and the beer in the clubhouse had gone up by a quarter a bottle/can. Of course, we did just what we were supposed to do when such a thing happens — we grumbled. Anyhow, the conversation got around to the economy and the cost of gas and other things and everyone started remembering what their salary was when they retired.
During my working days, I was almost always more interested in the job than the salary, and if I was offered two assignments and one paid more than the other, my decision was usually based on my interest in the job or project more than the salary.
Anyhow, the subject turned to salaries and how working from home had affected them, etc. I made the statement that anyone worth their salt should be able to work from home or the office — that was a foreign phrase to one of the guys. Someone “worth their salt” was something I’d heard all my life — I just always assumed it meant that someone was a valuable employee and earned their salary.
So — I figured a little extensive research was in order….
Well, it turns out that I was right, or pretty close to right — in ancient Rome, it was salt and not money that was used for commerce or trading. The soldiers that worked for the Roman empire got a handful of salt as their payment each day. This is where the common saying of “being worth one’s salt” comes from. Soldiers who did a good job were worth the salt they earned. The word salary is derived from the word salt.
In Roman times, obviously, salt was a valuable commodity and was referred to as “white gold.” The high demand for salt was due to its important use in preserving food, especially meat and fish. The Roman soldiers’ daily or monthly allowance was called “salarium. (“sal” is the Latin word for salt.) This latin root can be found in the French word “salaire” — that eventually made it into the English language as the word “salary.”
Today, we work for a salary, not salt — I guess that’s a good thing unless maybe you’re obsessed with keeping your driveway clear in the winter….
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