backhanded

[bak-han-did]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR backhanded ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

performed with the hand turned backward, crosswise, or in any oblique direction so that the palm of the hand faces in the direction of the body and the back of the hand faces in the direction of forward movement.

sloping in a downward direction from left to right: backhanded writing.

oblique or ambiguous in meaning; indirect; insincere or malicious; wry: backhanded methods; a backhanded compliment.

Ropemaking. noting a rope in which the yarns and the strands are laid in the same direction, the rope itself being laid in the opposite direction.

adverb

with the hand across the body; backhand: He caught the ball backhanded.

Origin of backhanded

First recorded in 1790–1800; back² + handed

Related formsback·hand·ed·ly, adverbback·hand·ed·ness, noun

backhand

[bak-hand]

noun

a stroke, slap, etc., made with the palm of the hand turned toward the body and the back of the hand turned in the direction of the stroke, slap, etc.

(in tennis, squash, etc.) a stroke made from the side of the body opposite to that of the hand holding the racket, paddle, etc.

handwriting that slopes toward the left.

adjective

backhanded.

(in tennis, squash, etc.) of, relating to, or noting a stroke made from the side of the body opposite to that of the hand holding the racket, paddle, etc.Compare forehand(def 1).

adverb

with the back of the hand: He hit him backhand across the face.

from across the body; backhanded: She returned the ball backhand on the first serve.

verb (used with object)

to strike with the back of the hand.

to hit, produce, or accomplish with a backhand.

to catch (a ball or the like) backhanded.

Origin of backhand

First recorded in 1650–60; back² + hand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for backhanded

sarcastic, ambiguous, equivocal, sardonic, double-edged, two-edged

Examples from the Web for backhanded

Contemporary Examples of backhanded

Completing the motion, Howe pulled the puck back to his own left and backhanded it hard into the open side of the net.
Gordie Howe Hockey’s Greatest War Horse
W.C. Heinz
May 31, 2014
Shawn sat up to say something, and he hauled off and backhanded her across the face.
The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis
Richard Ben Cramer
January 11, 2014
I realized that the very narrowness of my complaints was backhanded evidence of the enormous amount that the film gets right.
Revisiting Lincoln
Justin Green
December 18, 2012
In his heyday, Richards had an eerily clinical and meticulous approach to drug use, a backhanded compliment to be sure.
Cavalcade of Bad Boy Flameouts
Eric Dezenhall
March 4, 2011
For these women, “crazy” is a backhanded compliment, a path on the road to fame.
Crazy Chick Flicks
Ramin Setoodeh
January 31, 2011

Historical Examples of backhanded

“I sympathize with you,” he said by way of backhanded congratulation.
Joan of Arc of the North Woods
Holman Day
Whatever this might mean, it was, at best, a backhanded compliment to Hartigan.
The Preacher of Cedar Mountain
Ernest Thompson Seton
Glyddyr turned upon him, and made a backhanded blow at his face.
King of the Castle
George Manville Fenn
A backhanded compliment of the acutest nature is credited to Lincoln as a lawyer and gentleman.
The Lincoln Story Book
Henry L. Williams
Lake slapped him across the mouth with a backhanded blow that snapped his head back on his shoulders and split his lip.
Space Prison
Tom Godwin

British Dictionary definitions for backhanded

backhanded

adjective

(of a blow, shot, stroke, etc) performed with the arm moving across the body

double-edged; equivocala backhanded compliment

(of handwriting) slanting to the left

(of a rope) twisted in the opposite way to the normal right-handed direction

adverb

in a backhanded manner

Derived Formsbackhandedly, adverbbackhandedness, noun

backhand

noun

sport

a stroke made across the body with the back of the hand facing the direction of the stroke
(as modifier)a backhand return

the side on which backhand strokes are made

handwriting slanting to the left

adverb

with a backhand stroke

verb (tr)

sport to play (a shot) backhand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for backhanded

backhand

as a tennis stroke, 1650s, from back (adv.) + hand. As a verb, by 1935. The figurative adjectival sense of "indirect" is from c.1800. Related: Backhanded; backhanding.