tip of the iceberg

1. Only a hint or suggestion of a much larger or more complex issue or problem: “The money missing from petty cash was only the tip of the iceberg of financial mismanagement.” This phrase alludes to the fact that the bulk of a floating iceberg is concealed beneath the water, leaving only a small portion, its tip, visible above.

Idioms and Phrases

Superficial evidence of a much larger problem, as in Laying off a hundred workers is only the tip of the iceberg . This idiom alludes to the structure of an iceberg, most of whose bulk lies underwater. [Mid-1900s]

Related Words

• cursory
• frivolous
• one-dimensional
• perfunctory
• silly
• sketchy
• slight
• trivial