What does a drop in the bucket mean?

A very small quantity, especially one that is too small. For example, These contributions are just a drop in the bucket; the new church wing will cost thousands more.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


Where did the term come from a drop in the bucket?

The phrase a drop in the bucket has been in use since the 1300s, and is derived from a passage in the Bible found in Isaiah 40:15: “Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance…”
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on grammarist.com


What is the drop in the bucket problem?

Drop-in-the-bucket definition

(idiomatic) An effort or action having very little overall influence, especially as compared to a huge problem. A $100 donation from an individual is generous, but it is a drop in the bucket compared to the $100,000 fundraising goal.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on yourdictionary.com


How do you use drop in the bucket in a sentence?

something small and unimportant, esp. when compared with something else: We were paid about $50,000, but that was a drop in the bucket compared to what some other companies got.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.cambridge.org


What does the slang term bucket mean?

(slang) The rump; buttocks. noun. 1. To carry, draw, or lift (water, etc.) in a bucket or buckets.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on yourdictionary.com


Drop in the Bucket Meaning | Idioms In English



What does it mean when a girl is a bucket?

Definitions include: a female used solely for sex. thirst bucket.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on onlineslangdictionary.com


Why is dying called kicking the bucket?

The term is known to date from at least the 16th century. The more interesting (and probably apochryphal) origin relates to suicides who would stand on a large bucket with noose around the neck and, at the moment of their choosing, would kick away the bucket.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on theguardian.com


What is the meaning of a drop in the ocean?

Definition of a drop in the ocean

: an amount that is so small that it does not make an important difference or have much effect They need to raise thousands of pounds for this project, so our 20-pound donation is just a drop in the ocean.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


What does mean high and dry?

Definition of high and dry

1 : being out of reach of the current or tide or out of the water. 2 : being in a helpless or abandoned position. Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More About high and dry.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


How do you use feather in cap in a sentence?

Yes, it's a feather in your cap to win international tournaments. That'll be a feather in her cap ... To spend time at one of them would have been a feather in my cap. Normally it is just him, so you could say this is a bit of a feather in my cap.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on collinsdictionary.com


What does 2 tears in a bucket mean?

Phrase. two tears in a bucket. used to express acceptance of misfortune quotations ▼
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wiktionary.org


How many drops of water are in a bucket?

At a million cubic millimeters to the liter, that's 250,000 drops per liter, or about 1 million drops per gallon. This means that a common 3-gallon bucket holds about 3 million drops. So a “drop in a bucket” is 1/3,000,000, or about 0.00003 percent.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on motherjones.com


What does no AXE to grind mean?

to have a strong personal opinion about something that you want people to accept and that is the reason why you do something: Environmentalists have no political axe to grind - they just want to save the planet. Continually thinking about.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.cambridge.org


What does icing on the cake mean?

Definition of icing on the cake

: something extra that makes a good thing even better The concert itself was great, and getting to meet the band afterward was (the) icing on the cake.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


What does get down to brass tacks mean?

Definition of get down to brass tacks

: to start to discuss or consider the most important details or facts about something We finally got down to brass tacks and decided to work out a schedule for the project.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


What is breaking the ice?

To remove the tension at a first meeting, at the opening of a party, etc.: “That joke really broke the ice at the conference; we all relaxed afterward.”
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What is the meaning of can't hold a candle to?

If someone or something is just not as good enough when compared to another, it is said that it can't hold a candle to the far superior, much better version.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on historyextra.com


What means paint the town red?

Definition of paint the town (red)

informal. : to go out drinking, dancing, etc.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


Is a drop in the ocean a metaphor?

If you say that something is a drop in the ocean, you mean that it is a very small amount which is unimportant compared to the cost of other things or is so small that it has very little effect on something.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on collinsdictionary.com


What is the meaning of idiom an arm and a leg?

Definition of an arm and a leg

: a very large amount of money It's a reliable car, and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


Who said you are not a drop in the ocean?

The poet Rumi reminds us, “You are not a drop in the ocean; you are the entire ocean in a drop.”
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on michaelshouse.com


Where does the saying popping your clogs come from?

Pop your clogs

British factory workers, particularly in northern England, wore wooden-soled shoes to protect their feet as late as the 1920s. It was around this time that 'popped your clogs' as an expression for death originated.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on mariecurie.org.uk


Where does the phrase Gordon Bennett come from?

The expression is thought to derive from the controversial reputation of James Gordon Bennett Jr. (1841–1918), son of Scottish-born James Gordon Bennett Sr. founder and publisher of the New York Herald. Bennett was an accomplished polo player, tennis player and yachtsman.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org


Where did the phrase bought the farm come from?

What is meant by the phrase “bought the farm”? It comes from a 1950s-era Air Force term meaning “to crash” or “to be killed in action,” and refers to the desire of many wartime pilots to stop flying, return home, buy a farm, and live peaceably ever after.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on almanac.com


How do you fill someone's bucket?

You fill a bucket when you show love to someone, when you smile, make someone feel special or do something kind. That's being a bucket filler. A bucket filler is someone who says or does nice things to other people. Bucket fillers are those who help without being asked or give hugs and compliments.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on walpolefs.ss5.sharpschool.com
Previous question
What are cool Roblox names?