spit in the ocean

English

Noun

spit in the ocean (countable and uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) A very small or insignificant amount; something of little importance.

   Synonyms: drop in the ocean; see also Thesaurus:trifle

   • 2014 August 24, Dalya Alberge, “British readers lost in translations as foreign literature sales boom”, in The Observer‎^[1]:

     Lawrence Venuti, a translator and author of The Translator's Invisibility, said that, beyond high-profile bestsellers, translations in the UK and US were still "a spit in the ocean" compared with countries such as Spain, France or Italy.

2. (card games, uncountable) A variety of poker involving an extra dealt card shared by all players.

Further reading

• “spit in the ocean” in Idioms and phrases, TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2025.