rub salt in old wounds 1073

To "rub salt in an old wound" is to intentionally cause someone to feel pain by revisiting a painful experience. Someone may be talking about something which caused us embarrassment in the past, and remembering it through discussion causes us to be embarrassed or feel the pain again. Example: "Hey- do you remember that time you were giving a speech and you dropped your laptop computer?" Answer: "Oh please, let's not rub salt in old wounds!"