having a meaning that is not directly or clearly expressed, or that is not intended 间接的;拐弯抹角的;有言外之意的 Oxford Collocations DictionaryBackhanded is used with these nouns:- compliment
Idioms
a backhanded compliment
(North American English also left-handed compliment)
a comment that seems to express approval but could also be understood as expressing a poor opinion of somebody/something 隐含讥讽的恭维 In a backhanded compliment she said he looked very good for his age. 她说他比实际年龄年轻许多,其实是有言外之意。