[ahys-burg] 
| 1. | a large floating mass of ice, detached from a glacier and carried out to sea. |
| 2. | Informal. an emotionally cold person. |
| 3. | Australian Informal. a person who swims or surfs regularly in winter. |
| 4. | tip of the iceberg, the first hint or revelation of something larger or more complex: The new evidence in the case is just the tip of the iceberg. |
| tip of the iceberg n. pl. tips of the iceberg A small evident part or aspect of something largely hidden: afraid that these few reported cases of the disease might only be the tip of the iceberg. |
iceberg (īs'bûrg') Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) A massive body of floating ice that has broken away from a glacier or ice field. Most of an iceberg lies underwater, but because ice is not as dense as water, about one ninth of it remains above the surface. |
tip of the iceberg
Superficial evidence of a much larger problem, as in Laying off a hundred workers is only the tip of the iceberg. This idiom alludes to the structure of an iceberg, most of whose bulk lies underwater. [Mid-1900s]