Idiom:  (not) the half of it

Meaning

Idiom: (not)  the half of it

  • used to emphasize that something is more shocking, unpleasant or difficult than it seems
  • something isn't the most important part or aspect of something else


Example sentences

— The money is not the half of it—the real issue is that you lied to me.

— Her arriving late every morning is not the half of it!  She's also very rude and unhelpful to our clients. 

— Getting into Princeton University is not the half of it—if I don't get a scholarship, I can't afford to go.

— Losing my luggage wasn't the half of it—all of my clothes for the photo shoot were in that bag.

— The clogged sink wasn't the half of it—the stoppage increased pressure in the pipe, which caused it to break and flood the apartment below us.

— Submitting my roommates research paper as my own wasn't the half of it:  She had plagiarized someone else's article and now we both may get expelled from school.

— I forgot my backpack at home but that's not the half of it—my mom found my bong and some cigarettes in there.

— I saw my ex-boyfriend at the doctor's but you haven't heard the half of it!  His new girlfriend is seven months pregnant so he was cheating on me!


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