at first sight
at first sight
phrase
sightIf you say that something seems to have certain characteristics at first sight, you mean that it appears to have the features you describe when you first see it but later it is found to be different.
It promised to be a more difficult undertaking than might appear at first sight.
At first sight it resembles a traditional village of two-storeyed, balconied houses, set among well-tended gardens.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
