english
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general::
Phrase(s): 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.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs