Did a friend offer to get the check, saying the dinner bill is just a 'drop in the bucket?' This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.
Meaning
The expression 'drop in the bucket' means a small, unimportant, or insignificant amount or quantity. The phrase can refer to money or effort.
People use 'drop in the bucket' to describe how they have plenty of something, and losing a small amount of it means nothing to them. Saying something is a 'drop in the bucket' means it's insignificant in proportion to the whole.
Example Usage
"This is just a drop in the bucket. Wait until you see what is coming this evening. It's going to blow your mind, I promise."
"This problem is just a drop in the bucket compared to what's coming if we don't sort it out right now. We need a plan to avoid disaster."
"Don't worry, I don't mind paying. I'm a millionaire, and a $10,000 bill is just a drop in the bucket for me. I'm glad I could help."
"This is just a drop in the bucket. If you don't back off, I will open the floodgates and mess with your head. Don't try me."
"I think we're going to look back and realize this is just a drop in the bucket of our problems. There's danger ahead, and no one's paying any attention to it."
"This fiscal spending bill is just a drop in the bucket of the trillions in US debt that our grandchildren will have to repay."
"The issue with the fertilizers is just a drop in the bucket of the world's problems with climate change."
"This fear you're feeling is just a drop in the bucket compared to the terror we face in the future. Trust me, there's more coming."
Origin
The expression' drop in the bucket' originates from the Holy Bible. The first appearance of this proverbial saying is in Isaiah 40:15 in the King James Version, where it appears as follows.
"Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing."
The expression 'A drop in the bucket' is the predecessor to the proverbial saying 'a drop in the ocean,' and they both have the same meaning. The first use of an 'a drop in the ocean' appears in an article in The Edinburgh Weekly Journal, published in July 1802, where it appears as follows.
"The votes for the appointment of Bonaparte to be Chief Consul for life are like a drop in the ocean compared with the aggregate of the population of France."
Phrases Similar to Drop in the Bucket
- It’s nothing.
- It’s insignificant.
Phrases Opposite to Drop in the Bucket
- Open the floodgates.
- In means the world to me.
- All that matters.
What is the Correct Saying?
- Drop in the bucket.
Ways People May Say Drop in the Bucket Incorrectly
The phrase has nothing to do with water, drops, or buckets. The 'drop' in this case is an action, event, or task. The bucket is the grand scheme of things. Using the expression to describe something of significant importance is incorrect.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Drop in the Bucket
You can use the term 'drop in the bucket' to describe something with an insignificant impact on your life. Typically, the action or event causing the 'drop in the bucket' is unimportant to you but significant to others. For instance, if you go out for a meal and spend a thousand dollars, it would be a drop in the bucket if you're rich.
The phrase suits professional and social use. You could say that today's sales figures are just a drop in the bucket of the company's annual financial performance. Or you could say that giving your partner flowers on her birthday is just a drop in the bucket compared to what you have planned for the evening.