scratch the surface

Idioms  

1. Investigate or treat something superficially, as in This feed-the-hungry program only scratches the surface of the problem, or Her survey course barely scratches the surface of economic history. This metaphoric term transfers shallow markings made in a stone or other material to a shallow treatment of a subject or issue. [Early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

Warren Patterson, head of commodities strategy at Dutch bank ING, agreed, suggesting the US move would "only scratch the surface" of the supply disruption in the Persian Gulf.

From BBC

"So, we have only just been able to scratch the surface of how they operate. But they sell basically anything that can be used to launder a reputation. They often sell authorship slots for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. A person might pay more money for the first author position or less money for a fourth author position. People also can pay to get papers they have written automatically accepted in a journal through a sham peer-review process."

From Science Daily

“But then you scratch the surface a bit more and you look at things like electricity prices.”

From Los Angeles Times

And those don’t even scratch the surface of the sentiments being tossed around on social media.

From Salon

But scratch the surface and the identity of the group is a fluid blend of cultures.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• gather
• interpret
• know
• learn
• refer to
• scan
• see
• study
• translate
• view