Learn how to use the phrase "a drop in the bucket".
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Episode Script:“This podcast feels like just a drop in the bucket, but I hope it helps some people.”

Welcome to “ESL with Josh” - a podcast that will help you to speak more like a native English speaker. In this episode, we will consider the phrase “a drop in the bucket” - what does it mean and how do we use it?

“A drop in the bucket” is an idiom, which means that this phrase has a meaning unrelated to the words found in it. “A drop in the bucket” does NOT refer to water. “A drop in the bucket” does NOT have anything to do with a bucket.

“A drop in the bucket” DOES mean something that is so small that it won’t make a difference.

This idiom comes from the idea that a bucket could hold thousands and thousands of drops of water. So adding or taking away one single drop of water won’t make a difference. The drop of water is very small compared the water needed to fill a bucket.

The phrase originates from the Bible. In the book of Isaiah, all the powerful nations on the earth, compared to God and His power, are said to be a drop in the bucket.

Today, the idiom is used for anything that is small or insignificant compared to what is needed. So, for example, if you need to raise $1000 for a project, and someone gives you 25 cents, you could say that the 25 cents is a drop in the bucket.

In some places, the idiom can be heard as “a drop in the ocean”.

Here are a few examples:

• All the money we raised was just a drop in the bucket.
• We got a $100 bonus, but that is a drop in the bucket compared to what management team got.
• My dad and I raked leaves all morning, but that was just a drop in the bucket because leaves will keep falling.
• We raised $200 at the bake sale, but that is a drop in the bucket compared to what we need to buy new football uniforms.

Now it is time to take a quiz. Which of the following sentences use the idiom correctly?

1. Your vote may feel like a drop in the bucket, but it makes a difference.
2. We can only fit a few more drops in the bucket before it overflows.
3. We gave $50 to the charity, but that is only a drop in the bowl.
4. We have the strongest team and will definitely win the tournament. All the other teams are like a drop in the bucket compared to ours.

What do you think? The correct sentences are numbers 1 and 4.

Now it’s time for the Joke of the Day
How do you know when a bucket isn’t feeling well?
When it is a little pail.

Thanks for listening!

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