tip of the iceberg
noun/ˈtɪp‿əv ðiː ˈaɪsbɜːɡ/UK/ˈtɪp‿əv ði ˈaɪsbɝɡ/US
Etymology
From the fact that floating icebergs typically have about nine-tenths of their volume below the surface of the water. Early 20th-century uses of the term are believed to have been influenced by the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic on April 15, 1912 after it struck an iceberg.
Definitions
A small indication of a larger possibility
A small indication of a larger possibility; the first part encountered of a problem that is much bigger than it seems.
- This is only the tip of the iceberg. Our time together can become much more exciting.
- The exposed tip of the iceberg, the recognized illness that brings a man to his doctor, is relatively small compared with the hidden mass of undetected disease, or 'at risk' people, in the population.
The neighborhood
Vish — recursive loop
No curated loop yet for tip of the iceberg. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA