the.com/sight for sore eyes
The relief of seeing someone you actually wanted to see.
means A person or sight so welcome that it soothes you just to see them.
from Recorded from the 1700s — Jonathan Swift used it in print in 1738 — built on the simple logic that something pleasant to look at would even ease eyes that were aching or inflamed. The phrase outlived the literal ache and settled into pure warmth: the eyes aren't really sore, you're just that glad to see someone.
- origin
- Coined by Jonathan Swift in 1738
- literal logic
- Good sights supposedly soothed irritated eyes
- usage
- Now means pure gladness, not optometry
- irony
- Often said to people who look exhausted