Put on a show

Posted by Smokey Stover on July 24, 2007

In Reply to: Put on a show posted by Boris on July 24, 2007

: What do 'worth his salt' and 'put on a show' mean?

"Worth his salt" means worth his salary, worth his pay, or worth paying. Salary comes from salarius, the fixed payments that Roman soldiers received for buying salt (everyone needs salt).

"Put on a show" needs context. You've probably heard the modern expression, "She turns everything into a drama." "Put on a show" COULD mean, depending on context, making an exaggerated production out of a simple explanation, or something else normally fairly simple, such as turning an apology into a production number, lacking only the orchestra. It could mean other things, like actually putting on a show.
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• Put up a show Smokey Stover 25/July/07