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on the surface

SEE SYNONYMS FOR 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]

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Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
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Words nearby on the surface

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.

Words related to on the surface

apparent, noticeable, slight, cursory, one-dimensional, perfunctory, sketchy, silly, trivial, frivolous, shallow, peripheral, warped, supposedly, officially, evidently, seemingly, superficially, outwardly, externally