Is Tip of the iceberg negative?

Q: Can tip of the iceberg be used positively?

According to Oxford dictionary the tip of the iceberg refers to the perceptible part of a much larger problem or situation so Id say the connotation is negative. Show activity on this post.

Q: Is Tip of the iceberg a metaphor or idiom?

The idiom tip of the iceberg basically means the small part of a much larger situation or problem that remains hidden. When only a part of something that can be easily observed, but not the rest of it, we say that the part is just the tip of the iceberg.

This is fascinating.

Table of Contents Show

Be it is a messy kitchen or part of a problem, the tip of the iceberg is never a good thing.
Be it is a messy kitchen or part of a problem, the tip of the iceberg is never a good thing.
Meaning and Use
Connection between This Idiom and Culture
Can tip of the iceberg be used positively?
What does the tip of the iceberg mean?
Is Tip of the iceberg a metaphor or idiom?
What can I say instead of the tip of the iceberg?

Like Oxford, Cambridge says:

a small, noticeable part of a problem, the total size of which is really much greater

But per Merriam-Webster:

: the earliest, most obvious, or most superficial manifestation of some phenomenon

And The Free Dictionary:

Only a small, often unrepresentative portion of something much larger or more complex that cannot yet be seen or understood.

In the latter definitions, it has no normative meaning. It can be good, bad, or neutral.

Personally, I've heard it used to express something positive (or neutral) just as much as I've heard it used to express a negative.

For instance (to make up something that sounds natural to me):

Just look at some of the benefits. And they're only the tip of the iceberg.

I've always taken it to mean "there's more to this than meets the eye." While it's true that an iceberg sank The Titanic, that's not what I think of when I think of icebergs. (If I'm not thinking of the Arctic or Antarctic in general, I have a greater association with penguins than I do with the famous ship . . .)

Given this, I would assume nothing without context.

As for this specific question, whatever the quality is that we've already seen about his character (it has not been stated what we've already seen), it will determine the type of further, hidden qualities.

Be it is a messy kitchen or part of a problem, the tip of the iceberg is never a good thing.

A huge chunk of ice, detached from a glacier, floating around the ocean — we all know that’s an iceberg, most of it is under water and it’s only the tip that can be seen.

So, what does the idiom the tip of the iceberg stand for?

Well, if something is the tip of the iceberg, then it’s a small part of a much larger issue. So, the iceberg is used to refer to the fact that there is a very big problem and the tip is a small part of that bigger problem. The phrase has a negative meaning to it and is usually used to describe situations or people that are difficult.

Now, if your mom, who is just back from a short holiday, is shocked to see the kitchen all messed up, you can tell her, “Mom, that’s just the tip of the iceberg . The rest of the house is in worse shape!”

Image courtesy: http://preparedtoanswer.org

There are times you can notice or see a very small part of a situation, a concept, or a problem, it is not entirely visible. But, that small portion enables you to imagine or anticipate how big or serious the issue could be.

Meaning and Use

The idiom ‘tip of the iceberg’ basically means the small part of a much larger situation or problem that remains hidden. When only a part of something that can be easily observed, but not the rest of it, we say that the part is just the tip of the iceberg. If something is said to be ‘the tip of the iceberg’, it means that something is only a small part of a much bigger situation. This idiom comes from the fact that only the tip of an iceberg can be seen and the rest of the iceberg, which is much larger, is underneath the water and cannot be seen. So when you use it for a situation, you mean that there is more to it than what can be seen or experienced.

Source: learnex.in

Origin

Icebergs are infamous for being much bigger underneath the water than what is seen over its surface. This makes the situation dangerous for ships trying to access their navigation path around icebergs since a bigger mass that cannot be seen may hurt the ship and cause it to sink. ‘The Titanic’ was one of such ships. This has led to a phrase which is now used as a metaphor for other things which only provides a fraction of a situation and may have issues hidden from the naked eye.

Source: theidioms.com

Examples

“Her success is just the tip of the iceberg, she had to fight very hard to get to the position where she’s at, and we just didn’t see that.”

“After the party, the messy kitchen was the tip of the iceberg; the rest of the house was in a bigger mess.”

“What my friend is going through is just the tip of the iceberg, he has bigger issues to deal with.”

Connection between This Idiom and Culture

‘Tip of the iceberg’ is a good idiom to use when we talk about culture. When you ask people what they know about their own culture or about other cultures, they can probably give you only a glimpse on the topic. Culture contains larger components than what people can see or experience, and even when we talk about our own culture, we might not be able to really describe the entirety of it.

We usually can see the tip of the iceberg of cultures through the language, arts, religion, food, among others aspects, but the larger part of cultures hold deeper elements that require more than what we can see. This hidden components are norms, beliefs, values, attitudes, and much more.

Watch this video to learn more about The Cultural Iceberg.

Have you ever experienced a situation where you could only see the tip of the iceberg? Let us know by contacting us at .

Can tip of the iceberg be used positively?

According to Oxford dictionary "the tip of the iceberg" refers to the perceptible part of a much larger "problem or situation" so I'd say the connotation is negative. Show activity on this post.

What does the tip of the iceberg mean?

Definition of the tip of the iceberg : a small part of something (such as a problem) that is seen or known about when there is a much larger part that is not seen or known about The news is shocking, but we may find out that the stories we've heard so far are just the tip of the iceberg.

Is Tip of the iceberg a metaphor or idiom?

The idiom 'tip of the iceberg' basically means the small part of a much larger situation or problem that remains hidden. When only a part of something that can be easily observed, but not the rest of it, we say that the part is just the tip of the iceberg.