# tip of the iceberg

Pronunciation: say "TIP uhv thee YS-burg" US /ˈtɪp‿əv ði ˈaɪsbɝɡ/, UK /ˈtɪp‿əv ðiː ˈaɪsbɜːɡ/

## Idiom

1. A small visible portion of a problem that turns out to be far larger and more serious than it first appears.
   - Simple: A small sign of a much bigger problem that is mostly still hidden.
   - _The recall of a few thousand cars proved to be the tip of the iceberg, as deeper safety failures soon came to light._
   - _For many families, the rising rent is only the tip of the iceberg of their financial troubles._

## Origin

The phrase comes from the fact that a floating iceberg has about nine-tenths of its volume hidden 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.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tip-of-the-iceberg (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).