Back Handed Compliment Idiom American Expressions and American Idioms - What does Back Handed Compliment Idiom mean?

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Back handed compliment What does Back handed compliment mean?	A compliment that also insults or puts down at the same time.	They gave me a backhanded compliment when they said I was smart for a girl. Back-handed is synonymous with left-handed. For example in tennis, a backhand stroke is a strike by a right-handed player from the left side of the body. The left side of the body has always been deemed sinister. The Latin word for left is sinister. Hence, back-handed means round-about, indirect, or devious.
	Some Random Idioms
suds What does "suds" mean?	beer

have one's hands full (with someone or something) What does "have one's hands full (with someone or something)" mean?	to be busy/occupied with someone or something	The woman has her hands full with her three children.
run (someone) out What does "run (someone) out" mean?	to force someone to leave, to expel someone	The police ran the drug dealers out of town.
Down the pan What does "Down the pan" mean?	If something has gone down the pan, it has failed or been ruined.
step up (something) What does "step up (something)" mean?	to make something go faster, to increase something	Recently we had to step up our effort to hire some new computer programmers for our company.
of the old school What does "of the old school" mean?	to have attitudes from the past which are no longer popular	Our teacher's attitudes are of the old school and are not often found these days.
sound (someone) out What does "sound (someone) out" mean?	to try to find out how a person feels about something by asking him or her questions	The man has been sounding out his wife to see if she wants to move to a new house.
clear (someone's) name What does "clear (someone's) name" mean?	to prove that someone is not guilty of something	The man tried very hard to clear his name regarding his past criminal activity.

American Idioms and Expressions

Back Handed Compliment Idiom