Has anyone been insulted and it seemed more like a compliment to you?
I call them back handed insults.
I have a list of insults that I consider compliments.
After my boss nailed my ass, I went to to corporate website and filled out a form complaining
about it. Eventually during my ‘retraining’ we call it the ‘3 keys*’ the trainer says,
“you can come to me anytime and talk”.
*3 keys (C A R for short)
1. Create a good first impression
2. Achieve successful interaction
3. Resolve customer problems
A fair number of bigoted slurs are like that, out of their original context. Black men have big penises!* Black people are bigger, stronger, and better at athletics! Gay men are better looking and have a better fashion sense! Jews are smart!
*To quote a stand-up comedian after making a joke about that, "I’ve never had a black man stand up in the audience and say ‘That’s racist!’ "
Know-it-all?
I have been called “one of those book-readers”.
“You are quite sure of yourself”
Being called a Know-it-All by people who couldn’t be right if their life depended on it.
My personal favorite, although you might see it differently - The only people who have ever called me ‘arrogant’ have been arrogant insufferable bastards. Because their constant efforts to put me underneath them came to naught.
Someone once said that arguing with me was like being beaten up by a man in a bow tie. Which I thought was a rather apt description of the tone I was trying to achieve.
Regards,
Shodan
Same here, it is very funny when recent opponents claimed that science is their bitch and that I do not know it after citing the proper experts.
Well, I guess they are proud of raping science. :dubious:
I also think that they are not aware that the original saying goes like “Science, it works bitches” meaning that science still works even if they deny it. It does not mean that just because you claim it supports your view that it is your abuse toy.
“Dammit Loach, you are too handsome.”
Being called a “pedant” on another forum by someone who kept writing “Your pathetic!” while I repeatedly answered “My pathetic WHAT?!?” 
I finally just asked the asswipe if he was really so stupid and/or semi-literate that he didn’t know the difference between “your” and “you’re,” two of the most common words in the English language. I wish I could have been there when he read that post; I keep hoping he was so pissed off that he popped a blood vessel in his worthless brain.
Those aren’t really slurs, they’re stereotypes.
I got called “uppity” once by an, um, traditional male. I beamed with pride.
Smart-ass know-it-all pacifist bookworm.
Do-gooder.
They are both; they were meant as slurs, but outside of their original context they become stereotypes. For example, the “Jews are smart” stereotype was originally part of their demonization; they were portrayed as being cunning and treacherous and manipulative. Blacks being supposedly bigger and stronger and more athletic and so on was all part of portraying them as more animalistic than whites. Gays supposedly having a better fashion sense was meant to portray them as being more like women, and thus “inferior”. And so on.
I once had a doctor call me an acerbic bitch, but, what he meant was, I was right and he wasn’t.
I work in a factory as an industrial electrician, keeping all the systems working basically.
My boss and I were standing near a production line discussing some upcoming project work when two of the line workers walked by us. We clearly heard one complaining to the other “Just great, she is working tonight, that means we’ll never get any breakdowns.”
Even though there was some sneering in the guys tone and it was in no way meant to be complimentary, my boss high-fived me once they were past us.
I’ve been called a feminist more than once, by people who meant it as an insult.
This is becoming a disturbingly common one. I had to avoid the internet for a few days because of a gamer hatestorm that pretty much decided that “feminist” was the ultimate insult (combined with such classic hits as “females don’t/can’t/shouldn’t play video games.” “trannys shouldn’t be allowed to be game reviewers.” and “you’re oppressing us mens by not having all the women have DDD breasts and dress in only 2-square inches of cloth”)
Two job-related compsults:
“Nobody could do the job better than him.”
“I can’t recommend him highly enough.”