{"id":3742,"date":"2022-05-18T16:16:42","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T16:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=3742"},"modified":"2022-05-18T16:16:42","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T16:16:42","slug":"sight-for-sore-eyes-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/sight-for-sore-eyes-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Sight for Sore Eyes \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you looking for a phrase to tell someone that you appreciate seeing them? You could say to them they are a \u201c<em>sight for sore eyes<\/em>\u201d when they arrive. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The expression \u201c<em>a sight for sore eyes<\/em>\u201d means that you\u2019re happy to see someone and appreciate them for being part of your life. It can suit several situations and varying degrees of intensity in its use.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can use it to welcome home a loved one after a long trip. Or you could use it to say that someone you met for the first time is who you\u2019re searching for in your life.<\/p>\n<p>Ironically, the British version of the expression holds the original meaning and use of the idiom. It means that what you are staring at is making your eyes sore.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWow, honey, are you a sight for sore eyes. It\u2019s only been a few days, but I missed you so much.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThanks for coming in early, Jim. Man, are you a sight for sore eyes. I\u2019ve been working doubles all week, and I just want to go home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat steak is a sight for sore eyes. I\u2019ve been traveling through the Sahara for the last three months, and I haven\u2019t had a good piece of meat in ages.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat bottle of whiskey is a sight for sore eyes. I haven\u2019t had a drink in months, and I can\u2019t wait for a double on the rocks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSusan, you are a sight for sore eyes. I\u2019ve been searching for someone like you all my life, and I never thought I would see you again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGetting home and seeing the old house again was a sight for sore eyes. I\u2019ve missed you guys so much the last three years while I was away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3743\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Sight-for-Sore-Eyes.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"153\" height=\"115\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3744\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Sight-for-Sore-Eyes2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"118\" height=\"118\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The expression \u201ca sight for sore eyes\u201d originates from the 1700s. Originally, the saying had a negative connotation, meaning that the sight they were viewing gave them sore eyes. Over the centuries, the expression developed the opposite of its original meaning, and what they viewed pleased them.<\/p>\n<p>The first use of the phrase in print comes from Jonathan Swift\u2019s book, \u201cA Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation,\u201d published in 1738. IT appears in the book as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe sight of you is good for sore eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The modern version of the saying first appeared in New Monthly Magazine in 1826 in an article written by William Hazlitt. It appears as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGarrick\u2019s name as proposed on condition he should act in tragedy and comedy\u2026 What a sight for sore eyes that would be!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A sight for sore eyes\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GUbMo5DUlO4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Sight for Sore Eyes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>I missed you.<\/li>\n<li>I\u2019ve been waiting for you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Sight for Sore Eyes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>I didn\u2019t miss you.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re not needed here.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Sight for sore eyes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Sight for Sore Eyes Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>The phrase doesn\u2019t refer to the speaker having sore eyes. The sore eyes in the expression are a way of saying you miss the person, are tired, or need a break from what you are doing. The other person can be a colleague, partner, or child.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Sight for Sore Eyes<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the saying, \u201ca sight for sore eyes,\u201d when you want to tell someone that you\u2019re pleased to see them. It\u2019s a way of telling them that you\u2019ve been waiting for them to arrive with great anticipation. The phrase suits social and professional use.<\/p>\n<p>You could tell a colleague that they are a sight for sore eyes when they arrive to relieve you from your shift. You could tell your partner they are a sight for sore eyes after they return home from a long trip. This expression has different variations of authenticity. You could use it to say you are deeply appreciative of seeing someone or that you\u2019re mildly glad to see them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you looking for a phrase to tell someone that you appreciate seeing them? You could say to them they are a \u201csight for sore eyes\u201d when they arrive. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression \u201ca sight for sore eyes\u201d means that you\u2019re happy to see someone and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3742"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3742"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3842,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3742\/revisions\/3842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}