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]

Nearby words

on the spot, on the spur of the moment, on the square, on the street, on the strength of, on the surface, on the table, on the take, on the tip of one's tongue, on the town, on the up-and-up

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.