You don’t think that saying ‘very clever’ is nicer than saying ‘stupid’?
Yes. One could reach ‘very clever’ from ‘stupid’ either by adding a large amount of niceness or multiplying by a negative. Or, if ‘very clever’ is supposed to convey the meaning ‘stupid’ then one actually has to subtract niceness and add sarcasm or condescension.
Yes. One could reach ‘very clever’ from ‘stupid’ either by adding a large amount of niceness or multiplying by a negative. Or, if ‘very clever’ is supposed to convey the meaning ‘stupid’ then one actually has to subtract niceness and add sarcasm or condescension.