on the face of it
Preserved but no longer current.
To all appearance; in the literal sense of the words. That puts a new face on the matter. Said when fresh evidence has been produced, or something has happened which sets the case in a new light and makes it look different.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “on the face of it” mean?
To all appearance; in the literal sense of the words. That puts a new face on the matter. Said when fresh evidence has been produced, or something has happened which sets the case in a new light and makes it look different.
Is “on the face of it” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.