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Glite Dictionary
😏 In a sly way 🎾 With back of hand
backhandedly

backhandedly

7.9
To hit with the back of the hand, as in tennis
  • adverb
  • /ˌbækˈhændɪdli/
translation icon : de revés
  • She skillfully returned the tennis ball backhandedly across the court.

Examples

  • The fencer struck backhandedly, surprising his opponent with the quick move.

  • He swatted the fly backhandedly without even looking up from his book.

  • He backhandedly complimented her work during the meeting.

  • She praised him backhandedly for his efforts.

  • The tennis player hit the ball backhandedly, sending it spinning over the net.

  • With a quick movement, he reached out and flicked the insect backhandedly off the table.

  • During the match, she returned the serve backhandedly, catching her opponent off guard.

Surface Forms

backhandedly positive

Morphology

backhandedly = backhanded (transparent) = back + hand + ed + ly

The adverb is clearly built from back + hand -> backhand + -ed -> backhanded + -ly; the literal, physical meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

Backhandedly comes from backhand plus -ly, and backhand joins back and hand meaning 'the back of the hand' or a stroke that comes across the body. So backhandedly describes doing something with a backhand stroke, as when you return a tennis ball with the back of your hand or hit across your body.