First Example:
Mary: Thanks for the donation for the
Children’s Hospital.
Conner: I wish I could give more. I know $100
is a drop in the bucket compared to
what they need.
Mary: It’s still generous of you. Yeah,
we need to raise about $10 million, but if more people give, it’ll really make
a difference to a lot of sick kids.
Meaning: The expression “a drop in the bucket” means that something is very
small when compared to what is necessary. In the example above, Conner has
given Mary a donation for children’s hospital, but he realizes that compared
with the $10 million necessary, it seems almost worthless (which Mary denies).
Second
Example:
When the employees found out how
much money the company had made without giving any raises or bonuses, the
employees were furious. They argued that a small raise for each employee would
have been a drop in the bucket when
compared with the record profits, but the company argued that they were
investing the profits to ensure future growth.
Visit our website: languagesystems.edu
3 Responses
Thanks for sharing, buddy … Can't wait for more … Keep up the good work … Kind of wish you could post new idioms more often … A quick question, though: could we also say 'a drop in the ocean' to express the same meaning? …
Please say hi to Michelle and the guys at LS for us …
Your true fans from Moscow
Russia
Thanks for sharing, buddy … We've also heard 'a drop in the ocean' from our US contacts … Can't wait for more … Keep up the good work …
Your Russian fans
Moscow
Listen, guys … We are the only ones who say words of thanks here and you don't post them … For instance, we did it twice for this particular idiom … How come? … Besides, you almost never answer our questions regarding synonyms … Why don't you just say you're not interested and we promise to stop asking …
We still love you
Russian ESL students
Moscow