What Backhanded Compliment Mean?
A Compliment That Implies It Is Not Really a Compliment at All She Paid Me a Backhanded Compliment When She Said My Work Was "Surprisingly Good." How Do You...
: a compliment that implies it is not really a compliment at all She paid me a backhanded compliment when she said my work was "surprisingly good."
How do you give a backhanded compliment?
- "The way you've overcome your disability is so inspiring!" ...
- "You're so articulate!" ...
- "You don't even look pregnant!" ...
- "You're amazing for going back to work. ...
- "You look great! ...
- "Your English is so good!" ...
- "You clean up so well!"
Why is it called a backhanded compliment?
The variant left-handed compliment comes from the use, dating from around 1600 of the word left-handed to mean “questionable” or “doubtful.” (American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms). This use, in turn, derived from the left long being associated with wrongness or evil.
James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.
