a statement which on the surface seems to be a compliment, but has an
insult buried in the middle of it ... it must consist of three parts: the initial compliment, to put the listener at ease ... the second part slips in an insult, catching the listener off-guard ... and the third part closes with another compliment, leaving the listener a
little confused and wondering what just happened
"You
look very nice today. That's a hideous shade of green, but it looks pretty good on you." ... an
insult, buried between
two compliments, is a complinsultment