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Victorycountry Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

easy on vs less

Hi,

I am just wondering if "easy on" is the same meaning as "less" in "easy on the salt please" ?

Easy on the salt please <=> Less salt please

Easy on the ice please <=> Less ice please

Thanks in advance
  

Top answer

'Less' works fine as a word substitute for those examples, but other words for the expression might work better in different situations. ' That could mean a lighter touch, or gentler handling, or a more patient attitude, all of which can still be understood essentially as something done in a lesser degree. So I think you have the right idea.

— Davkett

  • 'Less' works fine as a word substitute for those examples, but other words for the expression might work better in different situations.
  • ' That could mean a lighter touch, or gentler handling, or a more patient attitude, all of which can still be understood essentially as something done in a lesser degree.
  • So I think you have the right idea.
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8 Answers
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'Less' works fine as a word substitute for those examples, but other words for the expression might work better in different situations.

For instance, a professional masseur/masseuse might occasionally hear from a client, 'Please go easy on me this time.' That could mean a lighter touch, or gentler handling, or a more patient attitude, all of which can still be understood essentially as
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And easy on the vermouth.
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I find the sentence "less salt, please" a bit puzzling, since once the salt has been sprinkled, it's hard to retrieve any of it! If a waiter's seasoning your dish, I can imagine telling him "easy on the salt, please!", but not "less salt!" At the best, it would be "less salt next time, please!".
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One needs to be said before-hand.

What seems possible is that the meaning of 'less salt' can be problematic in certain situations. For instance, in a restaurant where a particular dish is already only lightly salted. 'Easy on the salt' is the normal condition for the recipe. Therefore, asking for 'less salt' would be translated as 'less than lightly salted'. That could lead to a mea
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DavkettBoth statements equally need to be said before-hand, or during, depending on the situation, don't you think?

I totally agree!
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Pienne,

I was rethinking while you were posting your agreement. And my edited version which you hadn't yet seen actually agrees with your original. We're being very agreeable aren't we?
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Let's say you're making a curry. The person you're making it for comes into the kitchen while you're in mid-sprinkle. As you lift your salt pot theatrically for one last liberal scattering, she cries:

"Hey! Easy on that salt!"

or

"Less salt, please."

(I would find it rather annoying myself, though. I might well add a few more grains when she left the kitchen.)
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