a backhanded compliment

backhanded compliment

An insulting or negative comment disguised as praise. She said my new pants really make my legs look much slimmer. What a backhanded compliment!
See also: backhanded, compliment
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

a backhanded compliment

1. A backhanded compliment is a remark which seems to be praising someone or something but which could also be understood as criticism. Saying she's improved comes over as a backhanded compliment. Reviewers gave the play the backhanded compliment that it was `surprisingly impressive'.
2. A backhanded compliment is a remark which seems to be criticizing someone or something but which could also be understood as praise. They were seen as the ones most in need of some culture. This was a backhanded compliment: it implied that they were capable of appreciating the highest works of art.
See also: backhanded, compliment
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

a ˌbackhanded ˈcompliment

(American English also a ˌleft-handed ˈcompliment) a remark that seems to express admiration but could also be understood as an insult: She told me that my essay was ‘surprisingly good’, which I thought was a backhanded compliment.
See also: backhanded, compliment
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
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L F APts 17 31 49 10 54 16 2 3561750 16 0 5462148 13 5 3381644 12 5 4463141 11 5 5433238 9 4 8252331 8 5 8303129 8 5 8232529 8 4 9293228 7 6 8313127 8 3 10 31 40 27 7 5 9242926 6 411192622 4 6 11 15 29 18 5 313214218 5 313194118 37 11 21 38 16 3 513194714 2 4 15 13 37 10 Fully aware of Van Dijk's talents, the former Real Madrid winger, who has announced he will leave Bayern at the end of the season, offered something of a backhanded compliment when quizzed about the centreback.
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