compliment
Definitions
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I took it as bein' a compliment to my sect the way that fountain wuz laid out -
WordNet 3.6
- v compliment say something to someone that expresses praise "He complimented her on her last physics paper"
- v compliment express respect or esteem for
- n compliment a remark (or act) expressing praise and admiration
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Additional illustrations & photos:
Frame 1: A religious woman is presented a sporting magazine from 'Mr. Fox'. The caption says: “With Mr Fox's respects...
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
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- n Compliment An expression, by word or act, of approbation, regard, confidence, civility, or admiration; a flattering speech or attention; a ceremonious greeting; as, to send one's compliments to a friend. "Tedious waste of time, to sit and hear
So many hollow compliments and lies.""Many a compliment politely penned." - v. i Compliment To pass compliments; to use conventional expressions of respect. "I make the interlocutors, upon occasion, compliment with one another."
- v. t Compliment To praise, flatter, or gratify, by expressions of approbation, respect, or congratulation; to make or pay a compliment to. "Monarchs should their inward soul disguise; . . . Should compliment their foes and shun their friends."
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- n Compliment An expression, by word or act, of approbation, regard, confidence, civility, or admiration; a flattering speech or attention; a ceremonious greeting; as, to send one's compliments to a friend. "Tedious waste of time, to sit and hear
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
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- n compliment A formal act or expression of civility, respect, or regard: as, the compliments of the season; to present one's compliments.
- n compliment An expression of praise, commendation, or admiration: as, he paid you a high compliment within my hearing.
- n compliment Flattery; polite, especially insincere, praise or commendation.
- n compliment A present or favor bestowed; a gift.
- compliment To pay a compliment to; flatter or gratify by expressions of approbation, admiration, esteem, or respect, or by acts implying these feelings: as, to compliment a man on his personal appearance.
- compliment To give complimentary congratulations to; felicitate: as, to compliment a prince on the birth of a son.
- compliment To manifest kindness or regard for by a gift or other favor: as, he complimented us with tickets for the exhibition. Synonyms To praise, commend.
- compliment To pass compliments; use ceremony or ceremonious language.
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Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
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- n Compliment kom′pli-ment an expression of regard or praise: delicate flattery: an expression of formal respect or civility: a present
- v.t Compliment to pay a compliment to: to express respect for: to praise: to flatter: to congratulate: to make a present
- v.i Compliment to make compliments
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Quotations
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“No compliment can be eloquent, except as an expression of indifference.” -
“Compliments cost nothing, yet many pay dear for them.” -
“Nothing is so silly as the expression of a man who is being complimented.” -
“A compliment is something like a kiss through a veil.” -
“Everybody likes a compliment.” -
“I really lack the words to compliment myself today.”
Idioms
Fish for compliments - Usually said of someone who puts themselves down (similar to false modesty) in the hope that others will contradict them, and in the process, compliment them. Sam: I'm no good at drawing!Judy: Nonsense! You're an excellent artist!Bob: Aw, he was just fishing for compliments.
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Left-handed compliment - A left-handed compliment is one that sounds like praise but has an insulting meaning. ('Backhanded compliment' is an alternative form.)
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Etymology
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
F. compliment,. It complimento, fr. comlire, to compliment, finish, suit, fr. L. complere, to fill up. See Complete, and cf. Complement
Usage
In literature:
Mademoiselle, it is the King's desire that I compliment you on the elevation you have attained.
"English Satires" by Various
A dozen times this evening, a neat compliment came to his lips and stopped there.
"The Bread-winners" by John Hay
Out of compliment to their guests, the Deacon and his wife had gone back to the days of their youth.
"Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks" by Charles Felton Pidgin
In their earlier meetings the lover did not venture beyond compliments and modest protestations of devotion.
"Renaissance in Italy, Volumes 1 and 2" by John Addington Symonds
The thief compliments the things he steals, if not the owner of them.
"Orthodoxy" by G. K. Chesterton
That would seem to me, I confess, to be as ill a compliment as to say of a piece of poetry that it was really prose.
"Life of Charles Dickens" by Frank Marzials
It is more of an insult than a compliment to be chosen to succeed Vitellius.
"Tacitus: The Histories, Volumes I and II" by Caius Cornelius Tacitus
In due time Spigot returned, with 'Master's compliments, and he was very sorry, but he was so unwell that he was quite unable to see any one.
"Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour" by R. S. Surtees
Merton positively blushed: he was unaccustomed to compliments so frank from a member of the sex at an early stage of a business interview.
"The Disentanglers" by Andrew Lang
He paid her the compliment of an attempt at conversation.
"The Vicissitudes of Bessie Fairfax" by Harriet Parr
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In poetry:
I have pointed out the yelling pack,
The hare leap to the wood,
And when I pass a compliment
Rejoice as lover should
At the drooping of an eye,
At the mantling of the blood.
The hare leap to the wood,
And when I pass a compliment
Rejoice as lover should
At the drooping of an eye,
At the mantling of the blood.
"A Man Young And Old: IV. The Death Of The Hare" by William Butler Yeats
OUR spark approached the dame with easy air,
Which seemed the man of fashion to declare;
His compliments were made with ev'ry grace,
That minds most difficult could wish to trace.
Which seemed the man of fashion to declare;
His compliments were made with ev'ry grace,
That minds most difficult could wish to trace.
"The Little Dog" by Jean de La Fontaine
"Though small was your allowance,
You saved a little store;
And those who save a little
Shall get a plenty more."
As the lawyer read this compliment,
Tom's eyes were running o'er.
You saved a little store;
And those who save a little
Shall get a plenty more."
As the lawyer read this compliment,
Tom's eyes were running o'er.
"The King Of Brentford’s Testament" by William Makepeace Thackeray
So said, so done; the gods consent:
All three into the parlour went:
They compliment, they sit, they chat; Fight o'er the wars, reform the state:
A thousand knotty points they clear,
Till supper and my wife appear.
All three into the parlour went:
They compliment, they sit, they chat; Fight o'er the wars, reform the state:
A thousand knotty points they clear,
Till supper and my wife appear.
"The Ladle. A Tale" by Matthew Prior
Special Jurymen of England! who admire your country's laws,
And proclaim a British Jury worthy of the realm's applause;
Gayly compliment each other at the issue of a cause
Which was tried at Guildford 'sizes, this day week as ever was.
And proclaim a British Jury worthy of the realm's applause;
Gayly compliment each other at the issue of a cause
Which was tried at Guildford 'sizes, this day week as ever was.
"Damages, Two Hundred Pounds" by William Makepeace Thackeray
He praised her "queenly beauty" first; and, later on, he hinted
At the "vastness of her intellect" with compliment unstinted.
He went with her a-riding, and his love for her was such
That he lent her all his horses and — she galled them very much.
At the "vastness of her intellect" with compliment unstinted.
He went with her a-riding, and his love for her was such
That he lent her all his horses and — she galled them very much.
"Delilah" by Rudyard Kipling
In news:
Patrick Souter received the ultimate compliment after leading Racine St Catherine 's to a convincing 50-35 victory over Eau Claire Regis in Thursday's Division 3 semifinals of the WIAA State Boys Basketball Tournament.
Burgers are the perfect compliment to cold beer.
Richmond won $75, compliments of weekly sponsor C.J.
I mean that as a compliment.
Patrick Souter received the ultimate compliment after leading Racine St Catherine's to a convincing 50-35 victory over Eau Claire Regis in Thursday's Division 3 semifinals of the WIAA State Boys Basketball Tournament.
Picture is compliments of Ann Iungerich ( Picasa ).
I really just compliment his leadership.
The compliments are good and I respect coach Belichick and that organization still to this day.
So I really just compliment his leadership and going out there and leading our offense up and down the field.
Romo Responds To Aikman's Compliment .
Oh the verbal compliment of how your service was for the evening.
Um is that a compliment .
"Hitchcock" star Anthony Hopkins: To get a compliment from legendary director was 'like being given a billion dollars'.
No NFL player is receiving so many compliments .
The oft-avoided cornerback earns his compliments elsewhere.
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In science:
A is a subset of D with |A| = |D | − N and its compliment D\A is a collection of sites where the Zhang-Rice singlets are formed (Fig. 2(b)).
d-Wave Pairing State in Terms of the Zhang-Rice Singlets
This is 40% of the total FTE compliment for the HET, and is 27% of the total HET budget.
Ten Year Review of Queue Scheduling of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope
We suppose that the system equilibrium is achieved when all its subsystems are at equilibrium to each other; in other words, when each subsystem is at binary equilibrium with its compliment to the whole system.
Discrete Thermodynamics of Chemical Equilibria
Conversely, if char(k) | |G| then there exists a representation, namely the regular representation, and a proper G-invariant subspace which does not have a G-invariant compliment.
Representation Theory of Finite Groups
Let W ⊂ V be a subspace. A subspace W ′ is called a compliment of W if V = W ⊕ W ′ .
Representation Theory of Finite Groups
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