Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,897,506,509 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

backhanded
(redirected from backhandedness)

    Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Legal 0.01 sec.
backhanded compliment and left-handed compliment
an unintended or ambiguous compliment. Backhanded compliments are the only kind he ever gives! And I think his left-handed compliments are all given by accident, too!
See also: compliment

pay someone a backhanded compliment and pay someone a left-handed compliment

Fig. to give someone a false compliment that is really an insult or criticism. John said that he had never seen me looking better. I think he was paying me a left-handed compliment. I'd prefer that someone insulted me directly. I hate it when someone pays me a backhanded compliment—unless it's a joke.
See also: compliment, pay
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link 		Feedback
References in periodicals archive?   Idioms browser?   Full browser?
IAF Secretary General Zaki Bani Irshid was reported to tell the attendants during the meeting that "after this painful theatre play, which they so-called a democratic festival, has finished, we may say that the elections deserve all features of backhandedness and fraud with the absence of all meanings of honesty and transparency".
After war of words Tensions ease as Islamists tone down rhetoric by The Star (Amman, Jordan)
 
 
 
Idioms and phrases
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.