ENGLISH
REFERENCE

scratch the surface

idiom
Meaning

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


Examples
SIMPLE

This book only scratches the surface of the topic.

CONTEXTUAL

The documentary was interesting, but it barely scratched the surface of such a complex issue.

COMPLEX

Though the lecture touched on decades of research, it could only scratch the surface of what scholars had uncovered about the lost civilization.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    chicken scratch

    Cramped or illegible handwriting.

  2. 02

    scratch an itch

    To satisfy a need or desire.

  3. 03

    scratch beneath the surface

    To look or see beyond what is obvious.

  4. 04

    scratch by

    To get by; to make ends meet.

  5. 05

    scratch one's head

    To puzzle, ponder, or wonder about something.

  6. 06

    scratch one's own itch

    To do something out of motivation to solve a personal problem; to take matters into one's own hands.

  7. 07

    scratch that

    To disregard, omit, or ignore the previous statement.

  8. 08

    scratch the itch

    Alternative form of scratch an itch.

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