- Meaning
- This idiom refers to a small, insignificant contribution or amount compared to what is needed or expected. It suggests that the effort, resource, or impact is minimal in the context of a larger problem or goal, often implying inadequacy or futility. The phrase is used in discussions of charity, progress, or resources to highlight scale disparities.
- Origin
- The phrase comes from the Bible, specifically Isaiah 40:15 (King James Version, 1611): ‘Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance.’ The imagery evokes a single drop of water in a large bucket, emphasizing insignificance. By the 19th century, it was common in English, with Charles Dickens using it in *A Christmas Carol* (1843) to describe Scrooge’s meager charity. Its secular use grew in American English, particularly in discussions of economics and philanthropy.
- Variants
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- Drop in the bucket
- A drop in the ocean
- Examples
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- The donation was appreciated, but it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the charity’s needs.
- Her efforts to clean the beach were a drop in the bucket against the tide of pollution.
- Paying off $100 is a drop in the bucket when you owe thousands in debt.
- A drop in the bucket, that’s all this new policy will achieve without broader reforms.
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