Left-handed compliment?

Those of us who are left handed have a rum lot. Look at how derogatory the terms to do with 'left' and 'left handed' are.

You pay someone a 'left-handed compliment’ when you’re concealing an insult. If you’re not picked for something, you’re ‘left out’. If you can’t dance, you have ‘two left feet’. Here in England, left handers are often described as ‘cack handed’ – ‘cack’ meaning excrement.

And it's not just in English that left has negative connotations :

Latin for ‘left’ is ‘sinister’. In French, left is ‘gauche’ which also means ‘awkward’ or ‘clumsy’. In German, ‘links’ (left) is also synonymous with ‘awkward’ or ‘clumsy’. In Italian, left handed is ‘mancino’ which has additional meanings of ‘treacherous’ or ‘dirty’. In Spanish ‘left handed’ is ‘zurdo’. There is also a phrase ‘no ser zurdo’ which translates literally as ‘not to be left handed’ but actually means ‘to be very clever’. Similarly, Portuguese for left handed is ‘canhoto’ or ‘weak’.

It doesn’t quite seem fair does it? As those of us who are southpaws know, left handers aren’t clumsy at all – we just have to get by in a world designed for right handers. And if you're a righty and you don’t believe me, try using left-handed scissors or a left-handed can opener.