the tip of the iceberg

معنی

a small visible part of a much larger problem

بخش کوچک و پیدای مشکلی بسیار بزرگ‌تر.

مثال‌ها

1. 1These ten complaints are only the tip of the iceberg; most unhappy customers never write to us.
2. 2The leaking roof turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg in that old house.
3. 3The inspectors found three errors, but they believe that’s the tip of the iceberg and hundreds more exist.
4. 4Ben’s missed payment may be the tip of the iceberg, as his post is full of unpaid bills.
5. 5A new survey suggests the reported cases of fraud are only the tip of the iceberg.

دستور زبان

هر دو حرف تعریف the و حرف اضافه‌ی of ثابت می‌مانند. اغلب بعد از only یا just می‌آید.