the tip of the iceberg

Nghĩa

a small visible part of a much larger problem

Phần nhỏ nhìn thấy được của một vấn đề lớn hơn nhiều.

Ví dụ

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.

Ngữ pháp

Giữ cả hai mạo từ the và giới từ of. Thường đứng sau only hoặc just.