to salt a mine
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To introduce pieces of ore, etc., into the workings so as to delude pros- pective purchasers or shareholders into the idea that a worthless mine is in reality a profitable investment.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to salt a mine” mean?
To introduce pieces of ore, etc., into the workings so as to delude pros- pective purchasers or shareholders into the idea that a worthless mine is in reality a profitable investment.
Is “to salt a mine” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.