I may need to say something that is (seemingly) nice about someone, but I’d prefer it be very subtly backhanded or nearly believable hyperbole.

  • themadcodger@kbin.earth
    121·
    7 hours ago

    Some I’ve collected over the years.

    • “At this point, you can only impress me.”
    • “My opinion of you can only go up from here”
    • “The bar was on the ground and you brought a shovel.”

    • “Would you think less of me if ____.” “I could never think less of you.”

      • Britta says “nobody respects me any less as a political activist, right?”

        Long pause…

        Jeff: “the level to which we respect you as a political activist has definitely not changed”

    • “You aren’t the biggest idiot in the world but you better hope they don’t die”
    • Unencumbered by the thought process.
    • “I’m guessing you weren’t burdened with an overabundance of schooling.” - Malcolm Reynolds
    • “My days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle.” Malcolm Reynolds
    • “You’re the reason we have warning labels.”
    • “They only got two brain cells and both of them are fighting for third place.”
    • “It’s impossible to underestimate you.”

      • “Don’t underestimate me.” “I couldn’t possibly.”

    • “If you were half as smart as you think you are, you’d be twice as smart as you really are.”
    • “If you ever had a clever thought, it died alone and afraid.”
    • “They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge.”
    • “He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.” - Abraham Lincoln
    • “May I ask what’s on your mind, if you’ll forgive the overstatement?”
    • “You could hide your own Easter eggs.”
    • “I can explain it again, if you’d like, but I can’t understand for you.”
    • “He is a modest man with much to be modest about.”
    • “I would agree with you but then we would both be wrong”
    • “Your secret is safe with my indifference.”
  • bizarroland@lemmy.worldEnglish
    10·
    8 hours ago

    The only one I’ve ever pulled off on the spur of a moment unintentionally is when my asshole stepdad broke his foot and I ended up casually quipping to him, “you gotta work hard in order to get a leg up in the world”.

    • bizarroland@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      6 hours ago

      I also just remembered that I later told him he’s got to put his foot down on some issue his job was complaining about.

  • ℕ𝕖𝕞𝕠@slrpnk.net
    34·
    11 hours ago

    “I’ve never heard anyone express an option like that out loud before.”

    “What a unique approach to the problem!”

    “I bet you played football in highschool, right?”

    “Has anyone ever told you that you’d look good in a uniform?”

  • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
    21·
    11 hours ago

    The series Ted Lasso is chock full of these, but my favorite was after Jade meets Rupert and he leaves, she says, “Well, he seems rich.”

    Like it almost sounds like a compliment, but only if you lack the self-awareness and empathy of someone who isn’t rich.

        • makeitwonderful@lemmy.todayEnglish
          1·
          6 hours ago

          My experience is it’s used as “go fuck yourself” when it’s coming from strangers or people trying to place themselves as superior. In more familiar relationships, it can also can be used to express sympathy (especially about pain or difficult circumstances), as thanks, or to communicate you’ve misunderstood something (but it’s okay that you did).

        • Hawke@lemmy.world
          2·
          9 hours ago

          Yeah I know (not familiar with the precise connotations but the general concept at least.)

          I don’t see why it would be a compliment in any way, at most it would just be confusing.