english
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Phrase(s): Beauty is only skin-deep. Prov. A person who looks beautiful may not have a pleasing personality; a person’s good looks may not last. • Fred: I hope Nancy will go out with me. She’s so beautiful! Jane: I hate to disappoint you, but in Nancy’s case, beauty is definitely only skin-deep. • Don’t be so proud of your pretty face. Beauty is only skindeep.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
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External attractiveness has no relation to goodness or essential quality. This maxim was first stated by Sir Thomas Overbury in his poem "A Wife" (1613): "All the carnall beauty of my wife is but skin-deep."
American Heritage Idioms