"You are not quite such a fool as you look", is a left handed compliment.

“你看来不那么笨嘛”是一句言不由衷的恭维话。

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The manager said that any company would be lucky if they could get me to work for them – a back-handed compliment if ever I heard one!

经理 说，任何一家公如果能够让我去为他们工作都会感到十分幸运的-那是我听到过的言不由衷的 恭维 话！

youdao

He handed her a nice compliment.

他把她恭维了一番。

youdao

In a back-handed compliment, the Iranian authorities cracked down harder on journalists.

ECONOMIST: But the real winner was an unusual hybrid of old and new media

Thanks for the back-handed compliment.

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