backhanded

[ bak-han-did ]

/ ˈbækˌhæn dɪd /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of backhanded

First recorded in 1790–1800; back² + handed

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

Definition for backhanded (2 of 2)

backhand

[ bak-hand ]

/ ˈbækˌhænd /

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

For these women, “crazy” is a backhanded compliment, a path on the road to fame.
Crazy Chick Flicks|Ramin Setoodeh|January 31, 2011|DAILY BEAST
With a backhanded slash de Gobignon knocked the point aside.
The Saracen: The Holy War|Robert Shea
For myself, though I received only a backhanded blow on the chest, I staggered as if I had been struck with a sledgehammer.
In the Days of My Youth|Amelia Ann Blandford Edwards
Well, then, he turned more yellow than usual, and he gave me a backhanded smack across the face.
Real Gold|George Manville Fenn
Nick lifted his hand; and with a vicious, backhanded stroke sent Xavier again reeling across the yard.
Two on the Trail|Hulbert Footner
Perhaps it is only another aspect of the spirit of altruism, a sort of backhanded vicariousness.
The Complete Essays of C. D. Warner|Charles Dudley Warner

British Dictionary definitions for backhanded (1 of 2)

backhanded

/ (ˌbækˈhændɪd) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for backhanded (2 of 2)

backhand

/ (ˈbækˌhænd) /

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.

backhanded

adjective

adverb

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of backhanded

Definition for backhanded (2 of 2)

backhand

noun

adjective

adverb

verb (used with object)

Origin of backhand

Examples from the Web for backhanded

British Dictionary definitions for backhanded (1 of 2)

backhanded

adjective

adverb

British Dictionary definitions for backhanded (2 of 2)

backhand

noun

adverb

verb (tr)

Word Origin and History for backhanded

backhand