Meaning of "Back handed compliment"

[Thinker]

Test No. incompl/advan-68 "Back Again", question 2

He said he'd read my funny story and had laughed twice, which was a sort of back ......... compliment.

(a) slapped
(b) hit
(c) thrown
(d) handed

Test No. incompl/advan-68 "Back Again", answer 2

He said he'd read my funny story and had laughed twice, which was a sort of back handed compliment.

Correct answer: (d) handed

Hi everybody. I don't get it!. Back handed compliment. Thank you.

Thinker

[Alan]

Hi Thinker,

This means that it is not really a compliment - not genuine.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Saying It Twice