sight for sore eyes, a

a sight for sore eyes

cliché Someone or something that one is excited or overjoyed to see, often after a long absence or separation. Charlie, I can't believe you're back in town! Get over here, you're a sight for sore eyes! I'm so tired after being on tour. My bed is a sight for sore eyes. After all that rain, the sun sure is a sight for sore eyes!

See also: eye, for, sight, sore

sight for sore eyes

Fig. a welcome sight. Oh, am I glad to see you here! You're a sight for sore eyes. I'm sure hungry. This meal is a sight for sore eyes.

See also: eye, for, sight, sore

sight for sore eyes, a

One whom it is a relief or joy to see, as in Linda, who had not seen him in 15 years, told him he was a sight for sore eyes. This idiom implies an appearance so welcome that it heals ailing eyes. [First half of 1700s]

a sight for sore eyes

If someone or something is a sight for sore eyes, they are very attractive to look at. The sunset over the Strait of Malacca is a sight for sore eyes. You're a sight for sore eyes in your white dress, Milly!

See also: eye, for, sight, sore

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

a sight for sore eyes

a person or thing that is very attractive or that you are extremely pleased or relieved to see. informal

See also: eye, for, sight, sore

sight for sore eyes

Informal

One whom it is a relief or joy to see.

See also: eye, for, sight, sore

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

sight for sore eyes, a

The unexpected appearance of someone or something one is very glad to see. The implications is that it will heal ailing eyes, obviously not to be taken literally. Jonathan Swift used it in Polite Conversation (1738): “The sight of you is good for sore eyes.”