below the salt

In or at a position of low or common standing, rank, regard, or repute. The term is derived from the social hierarchy of nobility in medieval times, in which salt, a precious commodity then, was set in the middle of the dining table. Those of high noble rank were seated "above the salt," that is, closer to the lord and lady of the house, while those in lower social standing were seated "below" it. Robert's tech firm bankrupted last month, so I guess he's back to sitting below the salt with us again. I know it makes me a snob, but I just consider these big summer blockbusters to be rather below the salt.

Less socially acceptable, socially inferior. Due to the difficulty of production in cold climates, salt was an expensive and exclusive commodity in medieval England. At that time, the nobility sat at the dining hall's “high table” whereas their servants and other commoners ate at lower trestle tables. Dishes or containers of salt were placed on the high table where only people of sufficient social rank had access to them. To be “below [or beneath] the salt” came to mean being less well regarded than other people.