saltier

1. 1
   adjective

   Comparative of salty.

   The broth grew saltier as it simmered down over the afternoon.

   Cured meats are saltier than their fresh counterparts.

   Note

   Spelling shifts at the joint: salty drops its final y for an i before -er, the same pattern as tastier or earthier. The comparative carries every sense of salty, not only taste. A saltier joke is coarser and earthier, and in slang someone saltier is more irritated or bitter. In heraldic writing the identical spelling belongs to the X-shaped cross, so read the context before assuming flavor.

2. 2
   noun

   Alternative form of saltire.

   The herald described the arms as a white saltier on an azure ground.

   A worn saltier marked the corner of the ancient parchment map.

   Note

   Another spelling of the heraldic X-shaped cross, the ordinary that usually fills the whole field it is placed on. Beyond the coat of arms, it names the Saint Andrew's cross of Scotland's flag and the Saint Patrick's cross on Ireland's flag before 1922. As a noun it takes a plural, saltiers, which marks it off clearly from the comparative of salty.

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