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scratch the surface
Idioms and Phrases
Investigate or treat something superficially, as in This feed-the-hungry program only scratches the surface of the problem , or Her survey course barely scratches the surface of economic history . This metaphoric term transfers shallow markings made in a stone or other material to a shallow treatment of a subject or issue. [Early 1900s]Example Sentences
These figures only scratch the surface, as many victims don’t report such crimes.
"Paired with their moves to cancel our deterrent, give an effective amnesty to thousands of illegal migrants, and failure to hire a head of their phantom border command, it doesn't scratch the surface."
We show the complications with addiction, and we start to scratch the surface of who he was as a person as he struggled with addiction and as he struggled through making change.
The 13 films below only scratch the surface of Corman’s huge filmography, but they do provide a glimpse into his ambition and his sensibility as both a director and a micro studio boss.
"So why would a researcher jump into something if there's little known and they're left wondering, 'How do I even start? What do I have at my disposal that would allow me to even scratch the surface of this very complex disorder?'"
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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