In broad terms, it's sometimes known as a "backhanded compliment." An example would be, "I like your dress, it almost fits you." The compliment-insult, or complisult, first sets you up, trusting the person ever so slightly. He's saying something nice to me, you think.
So what is a double-sided compliment? A double sided compliment, is giving the girl a vague compliment, and then adding to it a DETAILED sentence that will translate as: “but there is room for improvement “ or. “but I have seen better” without, of course actually using those words.
Ultimately, if someone's compliment makes you feel bad about yourself or questions their intent, then it's most likely a backhanded compliment.
A backhanded compliment is a remark which seems to be an insult but could also be understood as a compliment. A backhanded compliment is also a remark which seems to be a compliment but could also be understood as an insult. Saying she's improved comes over as a backhanded compliment.
It's absolutely clear what Oscar Wilde meant (so many forget the second half of the quote) when he wrote “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”
us/ˌbæk.hæn.dɪd ˈkɑːm.plə.mənt/ uk/ˌbæk.hæn.dɪd ˈkɒm.plɪ.mənt/ (US also left-handed compliment) 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. She was insulted by his back-handed compliment.
Noun. left-handed compliment (plural left-handed compliments) (idiomatic) A complimentary remark which is ambiguous or ineptly worded, so that it may be interpreted as having an unflattering or dismissive sense.
Here are some examples of when so-called compliments could be considered sexual harassment in the workplace: “Jokes” about the way someone looks, their gender identity, or their sexuality. Comments on someone's body. Comments on someone's gender or sexual orientation. Sexual advances that are clearly unwanted.
pseudo-compliment (plural pseudo-compliments) A statement that sounds like a compliment, but really is not.
In a study of more than 400 people that I conducted in Boston a few years ago, nearly 70% of people associated feelings of embarrassment or discomfort with recognition or receiving a compliment. It would be easy to attribute our discomfort with praise to low self-esteem, however, it's a bit more complicated than that.
“You Look So Great In That Photo. I Can't Even See Your Acne!” Why it's backhanded: The nice compliment is immediately weighed down by the acne comment. They're basically saying you typically have a flaw, but in this photo, you only look great because that flaw is removed.
adjective. Someone who is left-handed uses their left hand rather than their right hand for activities such as writing and sports and for picking things up. I noticed she was left-handed.
Imitation Is the Lowest Form of Flattery.
Women, in general, are found to give and receive compliments more often than men. Furthermore, women and men use different strategies to respond to compliments, and the gender of the interlocutor who pays the compliment is normally seen as an important factor in the English context.
a veiled insult. (of sound, tone, the voice, etc) not distinct; muffled.
Negging is a form of emotional manipulation whereby someone insults you with a backhanded compliment to undermine your self-esteem and make you vulnerable to them, in which you crave for their approval.
Examples of indirect verbal insults are jokes, ironic comments, backhanded compliments, mimicry, and false fascination.