tip of the iceberg

Cultural  

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.

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tip of the iceberg Idioms  

1. 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]

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Example Sentences

“This week’s revelations are just the tip of the iceberg,” says Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, who urged Congress to launch an investigation.

From Los Angeles Times

“This week’s revelations are just the tip of the iceberg. We need to know exactly who has our data and what they are doing with it. And those who have committed illegal acts must be prosecuted,” said Alex Lawson, executive director of advocacy group Social Security Works.

From MarketWatch

The law firm's Dan Webster believes these deaths are "the tip of the iceberg".

From BBC

He has detailed biographies of 140,000 such musicians, a number he calls “the tip of the iceberg.”

From The Wall Street Journal

While this moment garnered attention online and in the press, it’s actually just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the effect that AI is having on religious belief in highly online corners of American society.

From Salon

Related Words

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