Bored Panda reached out to comedy writer Ariane, from the UK, for a chat about insults that masquerade as compliments. She also shared what you should do if you want to give someone a genuine compliment, too!

We were curious to get the humor expert's opinion on what lies at the core of creative and stylish insults. Subtlety, according to Ariane, is what's most important.

"I think it's the subtle implication that the person you're insulting has got it completely wrong," she said.

"I remember when a boyfriend's mother smiled at my satin skirt and sighed, 'Satin is a terribly unforgiving fabric, isn't it?!' But it's couched in such a way that taking offense at it looks like an overreaction," Ariane shared a story from her past with us.

Frankly, we have no clue how to counter such a comment! We impulsively want to nod and agree that, yes, it really is a terribly unforgiving fabric. We hope one day to reach this level of subtlety (we promise we won't use this power for evil).

Comedy writer Ariane told Bored Panda that the key to finding the right balance between humor and meanness in these sorts of subtle insults is to "appear to be sweet then switch to barbed humor."

However, life's not just about insults. Look, it's nice to be nice. And though some people might not know how to take compliments, it still feels awesome to hand them out from time to time. So long as they're genuine, of course! We wanted to get the comedy expert's opinion on how to approach complimenting others. She noted that it's best to avoid vagueness.

"I would say it's specificity," Ariane, the author of 'The How of Happy,' told us the secret to a really good compliment.

"Instead of just saying 'I like your dress,' which anyone can do, go into detail and talk about the pattern or the fabric. Similarly, if you're complimenting someone's character, instead of saying 'you're so kind,' give an example of why or when they were kind. Backing it up with examples and evidence shows that it isn't just a hollow compliment.

The r/AskReddit thread about subtle insults was wildly popular. It got over 63.7k upvotes, and really got people’s noggins jogging. Some people simply reported the best ‘compliments’ they’d overheard before. Others, however, took a stab at coming up with their own.

Whatever the actual source of the insults, the amount of creativity is pretty darn impressive here. Who needs swear words, huffing and puffing, and an angry tone when you can do so much emotional damage with just a simple comment? The beauty of it is, the person might not even realize they’d been insulted until they’re rerunning the conversation in their minds a few days later! They might have actually thought that being “at the top of the bell curve” was something good.

One problem with the r/AskReddit thread is that it might make you wary of any and all compliments you get in the near future. Heck, we won’t ever look at the words, “Good for you!” the same way again.

The phrase used to sound supportive. Encouraging. Motivating! Now, it’s going to make us go into full Detective Mode, trying to figure out if someone’s secretly mocking us.

However, the beauty of these subtle insults is that even if you do figure them out for what they are, you’re still free to react to them as you wish. Sure, you could get all angry and start slinging phrases like, “Well, I never!” or, “How dare you?!”

But where’s the fun in that? Instead, try taking the ‘compliment’ as an actual compliment. You know what? Yeah, good for me! Yes, it really is brave of me to try on this outfit. And the view from the top of the bell curve is pretty nice—it can be enjoyable to be average. Lean into the insult. Make it work for you!

Or, if you happen to have a rapier-like wit and you happen to catch the insult/compliment as it leaves the person’s lips, you can try hitting back with a comeback. Go for something subtly malicious as well. Show them what you’re capable of.