on the surface
Superficially; considering only the obvious details or outward appearance (of someone or something). On the surface, he seems like a really successful businessman, with his life all put together. But if you pull back the curtain a bit, you realize that his life is a mess. Everything looked fine on the surface, but after we began we realized that the plan was fundamentally flawed.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
on the surface
Superficially, to all outward appearances, as in On the surface he appeared brave and patriotic, but his troops knew better. [Early 1700s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
on the ˈsurface
when you consider the obvious things, and not the deeper, hidden things: On the surface she can be very pleasant and helpful, but underneath she’s got problems. ♢ The plan seems all right on the surface.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
on the surface
To all intents and purposes; to all outward appearances: a soldier who, on the surface, appeared brave and patriotic.
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.
- on the face of it
- inside out
- see through (someone or something)
- see through someone/something, to
- skim through
- skim through (something)
- turn (something) inside out
- turn some place inside out
- turn something inside out
- turn something inside out/upside down
These examples may contain rude words based on your search.
These examples may contain colloquial words based on your search.
Suggestions
Dull folk, but only on the surface.
Некоторые люди кажутся очень милыми, но только на поверхности.
Not everything is always as it seems on the surface.
Не всегда все на самом деле так, как выглядит на поверхности.
But what look like incredibly sophisticated strategies on the surface can still be very simple at heart.
Однако стратегии, которые, на первый взгляд, кажутся невероятно изощренными, могут оказаться очень простыми по сути.
An unhealthy tooth underwater would be much more obvious than on the surface.
Нездоровый зуб с гораздо большей вероятностью даст о себе знать под водой, чем на поверхности.
Jewels of fat glittering on the surface.
Капельки жира, сверкающие на поверхности, как бриллианты.
Diesel on the surface, electric underwater.
There’s something totally different underneath than what’s on the surface.
Внутри у них что-то совершенно другое, чем то, что лежит на поверхности.
Something I’d never buy on the surface.
Это те вещи, которые мы никогда бы не заметили на поверхности.
What looks okay on the surface isn’t always so.
Но то, что кажется ценностью на поверхности, не всегда так.
The answer lies on the surface, oil.
But the tears only show what was happening on the surface.
Но возможно, наука показывает нам лишь то, что происходило на поверхности.
Truth always involves more than appears on the surface.
Знаете, за действиями всегда скрывается нечто большее, чем можно разглядеть на поверхности .
Yet, only on the surface.
There’s no change on the surface.
При этом на поверхности не должно быть никаких изменений.
Turn over when bubbles appear on the surface.
Переворачивать их нужно тогда, когда на поверхности появятся пузырьки.
Fighters mercilessly strafed anything on the surface…
Истребители безжалостно обстреливали на бреющем полете все, что было на поверхности…
But those are merely on the surface.
Conclusion As always appeared on the surface.
All Artifacts hold a deeper meaning than appears on the surface.
Любая пословица содержит более глубокий смысл, чем тот, что лежит на поверхности.
Well at least any evidence on the surface.
«Сформулируем хотя бы первичные выводы, лежащие на поверхности.
Suggestions that contain on the surface
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Word index: 1-300, 301-600, 601-900
Expression index: 1-400, 401-800, 801-1200
Phrase index: 1-400, 401-800, 801-1200
Словосочетания
Автоматический перевод
на поверхности, по поверхности, на первый взгляд, с поверхности, на ее поверхности, на поверхности земли, на их поверхности, на плоскости, к поверхности, с первого взгляда, о поверхность, на своей поверхности, в поверхность, на земной поверхности, внешне
Перевод по словам
on — на, по, о, в, об, согласно, левая сторона
surface — поверхность, поверхностный, внешний, всплывать
Примеры
On the surface, it seems a simple story.
На первый взгляд кажется, что эта история проста.
He’s more complex than he seems on the surface.
Он сложнее, чем кажется на первый взгляд.
Dead leaves floated on the surface of the water.
Опавшие листья плавали на поверхности воды.
It was not what it appeared to be on the surface.
Это было не тем, чем казалось на первый взгляд.
There’s a lot to him that doesn’t show up on the surface.
В нём есть много такого, что не видно на поверхности.
Half an hour later Enid had calmed down, at least on the surface.
Полчаса спустя Энид успокоилась — по крайней мере, внешне.
Jonah and his youngest son were, on the surface at least, reconciled.
Джона и его младший сын примирились, по крайней мере внешне.
ещё 10 примеров свернуть
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
Putting oil on both surfaces reduces friction. 
…a cleaner that should not be used on porous surfaces…
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Meaning of ON THE SURFACE in English
transcription, транскрипция: [ phrasal ]
: to all outward appearances
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate English vocabulary.
Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.
2003
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I don’t try to call myself a poet. But I know that my stuff is pretty literal, in that the themes are pretty simple and on the surface.
Bo Burnham
PRONUNCIATION OF ON THE SURFACE
Synonyms and antonyms of on the surface in the English dictionary of synonyms
SYNONYMS OF «ON THE SURFACE»
The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «on the surface» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of on the surface
Translation of «on the surface» into 25 languages
TRANSLATION OF ON THE SURFACE
Find out the translation of on the surface to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of on the surface from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «on the surface» in English.
Translator English — Chinese
的表面上
1,325 millions of speakers
Translator English — Spanish
en la superficie
570 millions of speakers
Translator English — Hindi
सतह पर
380 millions of speakers
Translator English — Arabic
على السطح
280 millions of speakers
Translator English — Russian
на поверхности
278 millions of speakers
Translator English — Portuguese
na superfície
270 millions of speakers
Translator English — Bengali
পৃষ্ঠের উপর
260 millions of speakers
Translator English — French
sur la surface
220 millions of speakers
Translator English — Malay
atas permukaan
190 millions of speakers
Translator English — German
auf der Oberfläche
180 millions of speakers
Translator English — Japanese
表面上
130 millions of speakers
Translator English — Korean
표면
85 millions of speakers
Translator English — Javanese
Ing permukaan
85 millions of speakers
Translator English — Vietnamese
trên bề mặt
80 millions of speakers
Translator English — Tamil
பரப்பின் மீது
75 millions of speakers
Translator English — Marathi
पृष्ठभागावर
75 millions of speakers
Translator English — Turkish
yüzeyin üzerinde
70 millions of speakers
Translator English — Italian
sulla superficie
65 millions of speakers
Translator English — Polish
na powierzchni
50 millions of speakers
Translator English — Ukrainian
на поверхні
40 millions of speakers
Translator English — Romanian
pe suprafața
30 millions of speakers
Translator English — Greek
επί της επιφάνειας
15 millions of speakers
Translator English — Afrikaans
op die oppervlak
14 millions of speakers
Translator English — Swedish
på ytan
10 millions of speakers
Translator English — Norwegian
på overflaten
5 millions of speakers
Trends of use of on the surface
TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «ON THE SURFACE»
The term «on the surface» is very widely used and occupies the 369 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «on the surface» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of on the surface
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «on the surface».
FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «ON THE SURFACE» OVER TIME
The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «on the surface» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «on the surface» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.
Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about on the surface
10 QUOTES WITH «ON THE SURFACE»
Famous quotes and sentences with the word on the surface.
Once you allow yourself to identify with the people in a story, then you might begin to see yourself in that story even if on the surface it’s far removed from your situation. This is what I try to tell my students: this is one great thing that literature can do — it can make us identify with situations and people far away.
On the surface we all act like we all love each other and we’re free and easy, and actually we’re far more moralistic than any other society I’ve ever lived in.
I’ve been divorced and I had to get back out there be single again and do some of that in the genuinely miserable state where you really do wonder what the hell is going on. And you feel like trying to have casual conversation with someone you don’t know on the surface of the moon or something.
It is quite true — in fact, obvious on the surface — that the vast majority of dramatic shows and comedies, as well, advocate a liberal and humanistic and relativistic lifestyle and concept.
As a comic and as a nurse, it’s important to look calm on the surface when you’re absolutely crapping yourself inside. So, if someone is waving a machete at you, which has happened to me when I was a nurse, it’s important to make that person feel that you’re in control.
I don’t try to call myself a poet. But I know that my stuff is pretty literal, in that the themes are pretty simple and on the surface.
I was a nursery school teacher, and I worked with youth groups. I loved that job. It was exhausting, but you got a lot back — all their purity and insight and innocence is so on the surface, and they’re so unrepressed; they’d really scream at you and then give you a massive kiss.
It’s important for a parent to learn to take delight in a child whose behavior might seem mystifying. In the case of an extroverted parent with an introverted child, it can be learning to see the inner riches of your child that may not always be expressed on the surface — but are there.
Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath.
Nobody can take those footsteps I made on the surface of the moon away from me.
10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «ON THE SURFACE»
Discover the use of on the surface in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to on the surface and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
On the Surface of Things: Images of the Extraordinary in Science
Using innovative photographic technology, Felice Frankel finds startling abstract beauty on the surfaces of objects all around us. Chemist George M. Whitesides explains each photograph, describing why and how each of these phenomena occur.
Felice Frankel, G. M. Whitesides, 2007
2
On the Surface: Çatalhöyük 1993-95
This volume describes the first phase of renewed archaeological research at the site. It reports on the work that has taken place on the surfaces of the east and west mounds and in the surrounding regions.
3
Living on the Surface: New and Selected Poems
The poems in this collection cover thirty years of loving contact with the endlessly varied surfaces of the world.
4
Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth
Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, Commission on Geosciences,
Environment and Resources, Division on Earth and Life Studies, National
Research Council. and low annual precipitation receipts of ca. 300 mm. In
contrast, the …
Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources, Division on Earth and Life Studies, 1994
5
And on the Surface Die: A Holly Martin Mystery
In this new series by the acclaimed author of the Belle Palmer mysteries, RCMP Corporal Holly Martin takes charge of her first post, a detachment in tiny Fossil Bay on the wild south coast of Vancouver Island.
6
Surface Carbohydrate Distribution on the Gametes of …
Because PNA labeled a carbohydrate moiety on the sperm and not the egg, fertilization series, labeled with PNA were run. A patch where the sperm entered the egg was left behind on the egg’s surface.
7
Infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed species on the surface of …
Included here is a summary of findings made by the author from infrared investigations of the surface chemistry of simple and complex oxide catalysts.
Anatoliĭ Aleksandrovich Davydov, Colin H. Rochester, 1990
8
A Treatise on the Differential Geometry of Curves and Surfaces
Created especially for graduate students by a leading writer on mathematics, this introduction to the geometry of curves and surfaces concentrates on problems that students will find most helpful.
Luther Pfahler Eisenhart, 2004
9
Essays on Art and Language
Critical and theoretical essays by a long-time participant in the Art & Language movement.
10
Impacts of Urban Growth on Surface Water and Groundwater …
… the City of Dessau (Germany) developed as an economic centre. The
development of new residential and industrial areas changed the natural
landscape having an adverse impact on the surface water, soil water and
groundwater regimes.
10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «ON THE SURFACE»
Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term on the surface is used in the context of the following news items.
Flowing nitrogen ice glaciers seen on surface of Pluto after New …
Flowing nitrogen ice glaciers have been glimpsed on the surface of Pluto, along with an unexpectedly thick layer of haze in the atmosphere, … «ABC Online, Jul 15»
Microsoft’s Surface 3 Now Has a Swanky LTE Version
Compared to my crummy Dell Venue 8 Pro, drawing on the Surface 3 was nothing short of luxurious. The stylus did what I wanted without … «Gizmodo, Jul 15»
Hulk Hogan out of WWE after racist comments surface via Gawker …
… the biggest star in the history of WWE would be fired for statements made three years ago is hard to reconcile, given the facts on the surface. «Digital Trends, Jul 15»
Next Lumia flagships to sport iris scanner, Surface Pen
And last but definitely not the least, the Lumia 950 XL is rumored to support the very same Surface Pen on the Surface Pro 3, making it the first … «SlashGear, Jul 15»
Hartwell’s Summer Bass On Top
Always keep close watch for anything on the surface, and cast to any surface action you spot. Make long casts. The bass are often spooky in the … «Online Athens, Jul 15»
Scientists track monster waves below the ocean surface
«The internal wave produces a current that organizes the ripples on the surface, which are picked up by the radar satellite,» said study co-author … «Phys.Org, Jul 15»
Moon Landing Could Happen In Five Years With Plans To Build A …
Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. walks on the surface of the moon, July 30, 1969, with seismogaphic equipment which he just set up. The low cost … «Huffington Post UK, Jul 15»
July 21, 1969: Neil Armstrong takes ‘giant leap for mankind’ onto …
The two men planted a specially-made American flag on the surface, then received a message of congratulations from US President Richard … «BT.com, Jul 15»
ON THE SURFACE: Stakeholders participate in assessment of …
About 100 stakeholders recently attended the Edisto River Basin Surface Water Availability Meeting in Blackville. The assessment that is to … «The Tand D.com, Jul 15»
Pluto Images From NASA Are Fake? Aliens Reportedly Discovered …
… by NASA, one unidentified individual is saying that the images are fake, and others are claiming there are aliens discovered on the surface. «Franchise Herald, Jul 15»
REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. On the surface [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/on-the-surface>. Apr 2023 ».
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