This week’s theme
Words related to the hand

This week’s words
handfast
repugnant
backhanded
ironfisted
dead hand

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(BAK-han-did)

MEANING:

adjective:
1. Indirect or ambiguous, having double meaning; sarcastic or malicious.
2. Performed with the back of the hand facing forward.

ETYMOLOGY:

The metaphorical sense of the term derives from the image of a hand facing backward being indirect or hiding something. Earliest documented use: 1800. The word forehanded is not an opposite of this word.

USAGE:

“In an extraordinary backhanded compliment, Pierre Rolin compared Helen Macintyre to the Dr Seuss character the Grinch, saying: ‘I think deep down there is a beautiful heart, a lovely person, who was damaged and who was absorbed by tragedy.’”
Polly Dunbar and Alexis Parr; Boris Johnson’s Amazing Love Pentagon!; Daily Mail (London, UK); Feb 6, 2011.

See more usage examples of backhanded in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: