– Script –
Welcome to English in a Minute!
A compliment is something nice you say to someone. But, what is a backhanded compliment?
Backhanded Compliment
Speaker A: Jonathan, Caty just told me my script was good… surprisingly good.
Speaker B: That, my friend, is a backhanded compliment.
Speaker A: Yes! She was surprised it was good. So, she expected it to be bad.
Speaker B: Oh, let it go, Anna. Backhanded or not, it’s still a compliment.
A “backhanded compliment” seems like a nice comment but it’s not. It’s an insult made to look like a compliment. As you saw with Anna, backhanded compliments can upset people.
And that’s English in a Minute!
*This article has been edited and reprinted from VOA Learning English with permission from Voice of America (VOA) for use in English language materials.
English 
日本語