Query: why "salt and pepper" but not "pepper and salt"?

[Baker, John]

        Salt, an essential nutrient and one of the four basic tastes, certainly is more important than pepper, but I doubt if that's the whole story.  Note also that "salt and pepper" is two trochees, while "pepper and salt" is not particularly rhythmical.  "Pepper and salt" seems to be restricted to the color pattern (though "salt and pepper" is also used in that context).

John Baker


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
Of Cohen, Gerald Leonard
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 10:23 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Query: why "salt and pepper" but not "pepper and salt"?


This evening I received the following query: Why do we always say "salt and pepper" and never "pepper and salt?"

   I suppose the answer is that salt is more important.
 One may have just salt on the table, or both salt and pepper, but rarely only pepper.

   Or am I missing something?

Gerald Cohen