Having the taste of salt, or in slang usage, being irritated, bitter, or upset about something. Can describe both literal saltiness and emotional states.
From Old English 'sealt' (salt) plus the suffix '-y.' The slang sense of being bitter or upset developed from the connection between salt and tears, or from sailors' supposedly rough, bitter temperaments.
The evolution from literal 'salty' (tasting of salt) to slang 'salty' (bitter or upset) brilliantly captures how we use taste metaphors for emotions. We say someone is 'bitter,' 'sweet,' or 'sour' - salt joins this flavor-emotion vocabulary.
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