more (to it) than meets the eye

there is more to (someone or something) than meets the eye

Something or someone has more merit, import, or facets than is initially perceived. Don't discount Fred as a candidate for this job—there's more to him than meets the eye. This story goes deeper—there's definitely more to it than meets the eye.

there's more than meets the eye

Someone or something has more merit, import, or facets than is initially perceived. Let's keep digging deeper with this story. I have a feeling that there's more than meets the eye. Don't discount Fred as a candidate for this job—there's more than meets the eye with him.

more (to it) than meets the eye

One is seeing only the surface or a portion of something that has a deeper or larger significance. This nineteenth-century term became a favorite British cliché, as well as the object of fun. John Galsworthy used it in The Man of Property (1906): “‘There’s more here, sir,’ says the Inspector over the dead body, ‘than meets the eye.’” Critic Alexander Woollcott quoted actress Tallulah Bankhead as quipping about the revival of a play by Maurice Maeterlinck, “There is less in this than meets the eye.” See also tip of the iceberg, (only) the.