scratch the surface

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

scratch the surface (third-person singular simple present scratches the surface, present participle scratching the surface, simple past and past participle scratched the surface)

1. (idiomatic) To barely begin; to see or do only a fraction of what is possible.

   This beginners' course only scratches the surface of the subject.

See also

• scratch beneath the surface
• tip of the iceberg