backhanded compliment
noun [ C ] (also back-handed compliment) uk/ˌbæk.hæn.dɪd ˈkɒm.plɪ.mənt/ us/ˌbæk.hæn.dɪd ˈkɑːm.plə.mənt/ (US also left-handed compliment)
讽刺挖苦的恭维话
a remark that seems to say something pleasant about a person but could also be an insult
I say this unironically, and not as a backhanded compliment. 我这样说是不带讽刺意味的，而不是作为一种反讽的恭维。
She was insulted by his back-handed compliment.
表面恭维实则侮辱的行为
behaviour or an action that seems to suggest something good about someone or something but could also be an insult
It was a backhanded compliment that the worst criminals sought him out to represent them. 最坏的罪犯找他代表他们，这是一种反讽的恭维。
The appearance of Hollywood stars in British ads is something of a back-handed compliment.
- More examples
- That sounds like a backhanded compliment but it isn't meant to be.
- He didn't wait for a response to his back-handed compliment.
- "Rudeness in disguise" includes back-handed compliments or sarcasm.
- His lack of deference is actually a backhanded compliment.