Pay a compliment


Express praise or commendation to someone, as in Meredith wanted to pay Christopher a compliment so she told him she liked his new haircut. This expression uses pay in the sense of “give something that is due.” [ c. 1700 ]

Read Also:

  • Pay-and-display

    adjective 1. denoting a car-parking system in which a motorist buys a permit to park for a specified period from a coin-operated machine and displays the permit on or near the windscreen of his or her car so that it can be seen by a parking attendant

  • Pay-as-you-go

    [pey-uh z-yoo-goh] /ˈpeɪ əz yʊˈgoʊ/ noun 1. the principle or practice of paying for goods and services at the time of purchase, rather than relying on credit. adjective 2. of, relating to, or based on such a principle or practice: a pay-as-you-go budget.

  • Pay-as-you-throw

    adjective 1. denoting a system for waste collection in which households are charged according to the amount of refuse they leave

  • Pay attention

    Heed, be attentive to, as in Now pay attention to these instructions. [ Second half of 1700s ]

  • Pay a visit

    see: pay a call


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