take it with a grain of salt

tomárselo con pinzas

• He's known to embellish — take his stories with a grain of salt.
• When reading tabloid news, it's best to take it with a grain of salt.
• Her promises are often exaggerated, so take them with a grain of salt.

This idiom is informal and often used in spoken English to advise caution with information that might be exaggerated or unreliable. It's common in everyday conversation and media, especially in English-speaking cultures.

A common mistake is to use the phrase 'take it with a pinch of salt', which, while understood, is less common in American English. The preferred version, especially in the US, is 'with a grain of salt'.

• burn the midnight oil
  quemarse las pestañas, trabajar hasta tarde
• throw in the towel
  tirar la toalla
• a rule of thumb
  regla general, regla empírica
• the bottom line
  lo más importante, lo esencial