ocean

an ocean of (something)

A lot of something. You'll be in an ocean of problems if you keep charging things on your credit card.
See also: ocean, of

boil the ocean

To engage in futile tasks. Oh, Ted's still boiling the ocean trying to find and reassemble that document from the shredded bin.
See also: boil, ocean

cry an ocean

To cry a great deal. My poor daughter has been crying an ocean since breaking up with her boyfriend. I must have cried an ocean in the days after Billy's death.
See also: cry, ocean

drop in the bucket

A tiny amount, especially when compared to a much larger one. I'm glad Tony started repaying the money he borrowed from me, but the five dollars he gave me yesterday is just a drop in the bucket compared to what he still owes.
See also: bucket, drop

drop in the ocean

A tiny amount, especially when compared to a much larger one. I'm glad Tony started repaying the money he borrowed from me, but the five dollars he gave me yesterday is just a drop in the ocean compared to what he still owes.
See also: drop, ocean

oceans of (something)

A lot of something. You'll be in oceans of problems if you keep charging things on your credit card.
See also: ocean, of

spit in the ocean

A tiny or inconsequential amount, especially when compared to a much larger one. I'm glad Tony is ready to start repaying the money he borrowed from me, but the five dollars he gave me yesterday is just spit in the ocean compared to what he still owes. I appreciate your donation, but with how much these repairs will cost, a couple hundred bucks is spit in the ocean.
See also: ocean, spit
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

drop in the bucket

 and a drop in the ocean
Fig. an in significant contribution toward solving a large problem. Jane: We need to stop spending so much. Alan: OK. I'll buy a cheaper brand of toothpaste. Jane: But that's just a drop in the bucket. Many companies donated food and medicine to help the survivors of the earthquake, but it was just a drop in the ocean of what was needed.
See also: bucket, drop

oceans of someone or something

 and an ocean of someone or something
a very large amount of something. The naughty student was in oceans of trouble. After a week of vacation, there was an ocean of work to do.
See also: ocean, of
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

drop in the bucket

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 . John Wycliffe's followers used this seemingly modern phrase in their translation of the Bible (1382), and it also appears in the 1611 King James version (Isaiah 40:15): "Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance."
See also: bucket, drop
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

a drop in the ocean

BRITISH or

a drop in the bucket

AMERICAN
COMMON If something, especially an amount of money, is a drop in the ocean, it is very small in comparison with the amount which is needed or expected. The size of the grants have been attacked by welfare groups as merely a drop in the ocean. The amount of mercury would be minuscule, a drop in the bucket compared to natural sources such as bacteria in soils. Note: This expression may come from a line in the Bible: `Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance.' (Isaiah 40:15)
See also: drop, ocean
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

a drop in the ocean (or in a bucket)

a very small amount compared with what is needed or expected.
1995 Ian Rankin Let It Bleed A few million was a drop in the ocean, hardly a ripple.
See also: drop, ocean
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

a ˌdrop in the ˈocean

(British English) (American English a ˌdrop in the ˈbucket) a very small amount in comparison to the much larger amount that is needed: $10 million is only a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed to help these people effectively.
See also: drop, ocean

an ocean of something

(British English also oceans of something) (informal) a large amount of something: oceans of food
See also: ocean, of, something
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

boil the ocean

tv. to waste one’s time attempting to do the impossible. (see also plowing water.) You’re wasting my time. You might as well be boiling the ocean.
See also: boil, ocean
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

drop in the bucket

A small, inadequate quantity.
See also: bucket, drop
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

drop in the bucket

A negligible amount, something that makes little difference. This expression is found in the King James version of the Bible: “Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the balance” (Isaiah 40:15).
See also: bucket, drop
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer

spit in the ocean

An inconsequential amount. The image is a single expelled moist mouthful being nothing compared to the entirely watery content of the Atlantic or Pacific. A similar phrase is “a drop in the bucket.”
See also: ocean, spit
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price
See also:
  • an ocean of (something)
  • an ocean of something
  • oceans of
  • oceans of (something)
  • boil the ocean
  • Davy
  • Davy Jones's locker
  • cry an ocean
  • from sea to shining sea
  • across the pond
References in periodicals archive
The United Nation's World Oceans Day designated theme this year is "Gender and Oceans".
World Oceans Day being observed today
Women engage in all aspects of ocean interaction, yet in many parts of the world, women's contribution, both towards ocean-based livelihoods like fishing, and conservation efforts, are invisible and, gender inequality persists 'from the marine industry to the field of ocean science'.
Gender equality key to tackling ocean challenges: UN
We need to save the oceans and honour the oceans creatures for keeping up the balance of life on earth.
World ocean day
Scientists have also used the benefits of the ocean for medicinal purposes.
World Oceans Day to be observed on June 8
"Let me start by saying I feel like an [expletive] right now," he said, "but a tough decision had to be made in regard to my schedule over the next months and the casualties of that decision include my appearances at upcoming festivals in Europe and my opening slot on the European leg of the Coldplay world tour," Ocean said in a (http://ow.ly/i/QjWc/original) statement.
Frank Ocean Mysteriously Cancels Upcoming European Tour With Coldplay
CLF is actively promoting regional ocean planning, because better planning will help us ensure that our oceans and coasts are healthy, that rare ocean wildlife are protected and recovering, that renewable energy growth is not at the expense of our important marine ecosystems, and that, most importantly, we all have a say in how our ocean resources are used.
Regional ocean planning: giving all ocean users a seat at the table
Bush was no friend to the environment overall, his record on ocean protection is actually not too bad.
Dear EarthTalk: oceans are in big trouble and I understand President Obama is creating a high level ocean council to address them. What are the major issues?
Of the many causes of this decline, summarized elsewhere in this report, a principal one is the lack of a coherent governance regime for the oceans. We have a myriad of laws, agencies, and levels of government that affect the ocean but little coordination among them and no unifying vision or governing policy.
A call for ocean-policy reform: the time is now for government to respond to long-standing demands for action
On the Senate side, the Commerce Committee easily passed a similarly titled--but different--bill, the Ocean and Coastal Exploration and NOAA Act (OCEAN ACT, S.39), by voice vote on February 13.
Bill to establish national ocean policy falters
Sunlight is unable to penetrate the ocean's deep waters.
Aliens of the deep: meet the most peculiar creatures that call Earth home
The boundaries between oceans are usually determined by the landmasses that border them, or by ridges on the ocean floor.
Ask Mapman
The rocks that form Earth's surface beneath the oceans are usually covered with a thick layer made up of sand or dirt and the skeletons of tiny ocean creatures called plankton.
The Pacific Ocean's bald spot
Montpelier Re Holdings launched a venture, Blue Ocean Re, in January 2006 with $300 million in capital, 57% of which came from outside investors.
New ventures, new vehicles: a number of reinsurers have found innovative ways to team up with hedge funds and other investors to tap into fresh capacity while taking some risk off their books
government were a student, it would be on the verge of flunking Ocean Policy 101, to judge by the U.S.
U.S. Ocean Policy Report Card
"While many understand that the ocean supports diverse marine species," said Rep.
Joyce, Evans give testimony on oceans to Congress