the tip of the iceberg



the tip of the iceberg

a small part of a problem or a difficult situation which is really much larger than it seems
Usage notes: An iceberg is a very large mass of ice that floats in the sea and often it is only possible to see a small part of it.
What you saw last night was just the tip of the iceberg. The difficulties we've discussed are only the tip of the iceberg.
See also: iceberg, of, tip

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Gaufrid-Ancient Germanic
Martinho-Portuguese
Baker['beikə]
Elene-Georgian
Ilda-Italian
BazzaBAZ-əEnglish (British)