Remember the last time you were stuck in a room with someone you just couldn’t stand? Because killing them several times over in your head does not always work, instead of getting into a fight with them, you can take little jabs at them by insulting them in the most insidious way possible – with the weapon called a ‘backhanded compliment’.

Bringing in elements of sarcasm, wit, bittersweet praise, and disdain in your compliments to slap your enemy/frenemy with is always a smart thing to do. While some are harmless, there are some compliments you might receive which might make you think wait-what-did-they-just-say long after they said it. Watch out for they’re not really compliments, but backhanded ones.

We have rounded up some of these sneaky zingers for you to use – in case you get stuck in a room with that certain (annoying) person again, or if you’re in the receiving end and cannot tell a genuine compliment from a backhanded one. Watch out. 

Disarm them!

Design credit: Palki Sharma