be a sight for sore eyes—said of a person or thing one is pleased or happy to see:
- MacLaine is quite a sight for sore eyes when she shows up in the movie.
Note: The expression is not equivalent in meaning to the phrase be eye candy—
1. be visually attractive:
- We waited a little long for our food, and it did help that our waiter was eye candy.
2. (Internet) used of extra graphics on a Web page that usually makes it look worse:
- First I’m told that my site is too simple … and then I’m told that my site has too much eye candy.
Cf.: be ear candy—said of music with an instant appeal but with little significance:
- This is anything but ear-candy, and the music is meant to be listened to and savored many times.
be a sight to behold—
1. = be a sight for sore eyes:
- The sunset on the horizon was a sight to behold. The soft glow of orange over the mountains was breath-taking.
2. look untidy, repulsive, or ridiculous:
- We soon arrived at the local abattoir, which was a sight to behold. Used to the clinical approach of the western world, we were stunned…
Note: The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase be a sight— = be a sight to behold 2:
- It was raining and lightning, I was crying, I was cold … Believe me, I was a sight!