skin-deep issue
- noun
:
cuestión superficial
- Her concerns were dismissed as mere skin-deep issues, failing to consider the underlying factors at play.
Examples
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The debate focused on skin-deep issues rather than addressing the real challenges faced by the community.
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Most American students have no appreciation for knowledge or education, and in a culture obsessed with skin-deep issues, I don't find that hard to believe.
Blog text (13) -
Many discussions revolve around skin-deep issues, ignoring the deeper problems that need attention.
Antonyms
How Superficial
Surface Forms
Morphology
skin-deep + issue
The meaning 'superficial problem' is directly derivable from combining 'skin' (outer surface of the body) with 'deep' (far below the surface): 'skin-deep' literally signals something that only reaches the surface and is therefore shallow. This surface-vs-depth metaphor and adjective-noun compounding is cross-linguistically common and follows regular English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
Skin-deep issue comes from the image of a mark or wound that reaches only the skin and not what is deep underneath. So it means a problem that is 'only on the surface' and does not fix the real cause.