the tip of the iceberg

Maksud

a small visible part of a much larger problem

Sebahagian kecil yang kelihatan daripada masalah yang jauh lebih besar.

Contoh

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.

Tatabahasa

Kedua-dua article the dikekalkan, begitu juga kata sendi nama of. Frasa ini sering digunakan selepas only atau just.