saltbox

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saltbox

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From salt + box.

noun saltboxes · salt-box

A box for keeping salt in.
A similar box formerly used as a percussion instrument in burlesque music. [O]ne who had heard without seeing the application, would have mistaken the sound for that of a salt-box, in the hand of a dext'rous Merry Andrew, belonging to one of the booths at Bartholomew Fair.
US A distinctively shaped wooden-frame house with two stories at the front and one behind, characteristic of New England. Rather than build new homes, weekenders are renovating existing homes, with saltboxes and capes predominant.
A roof where one side slopes farther down than the other.
UK, historical, slang The cell in Newgate prison for a prisoner condemned to death. “I think I'd rather languish in the Salt Box at Newgate Prison wearing the Devil's Claws than to be married to that tree,” Kierney said.

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MLA

"saltbox." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/saltbox. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

saltbox. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/saltbox

Chicago

"saltbox." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/saltbox.

BibTeX

@misc{saltbox_2026,
  title = {saltbox},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/saltbox},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}