When starting the bagpipes, as the pressure is increased, the drones initially sound at a higher pitch, perhaps a semitone or tone higher than normal.

Compared to green sand or vanishing tides, 'round rocks' don't initially sound like reason enough to visit this Californian beach.

She adds: "Although it initially sounds expensive, I started work the day after my course ended, so it was definitely worthwhile."

While it may initially sound far-fetched, this could become part of Venice's plan to mitigate flooding issues, which will only worsen in coming decades.

When von Oelhoffen was asked about his hit against Palmer, he initially sounded callous.

Genteel lives are obliquely seen to be desperate and do-gooders to be much less silly than they initially sound.

Something that initially sounds mass-produced is actually the trump card for this system.

That initially sounded positive to me - based I think on a reaction to the horrors that patents have bought into other areas of technology.

That may sound initially like a vote against democracy, but think about it.

We have certainly not made things easy for ourselves with the reference to preventing competition, which initially sounds plausible or even self-evident.