1.
taking a story with a grain of salt; believing only half of what one is told
The attitude of listening to a story while assuming much of it is exaggeration, so one believes only about half. Most often used in the phrase 話半分に聞く.
Literally 'half of the story.' Implies that a story is probably half exaggeration, so only half should be believed.
Common collocations
Similar words
- 眉唾: dubious, fishy — emphasizes that a claim itself is suspect, rather than how one should listen to it
Related Words
Compare:
眉唾 (dubious, fishy)