Bouquets and brickbats

I want to embarrass some of my friends and colleagues by telling them how wonderful I think they are. Wouldn't that be just too cringe-making?
But what if I were called to join the Choir Invisibule in a minute from now? They would never know how I felt about them.
On the other hand, I might mortally offend other friends and colleagues by leaving them out of my shortlist of Wonderfuls. That would be unforgivable.
As you can see, it's a tricky business presenting bouquets. Brickbats are much easier. Maybe I should just stick to insulting Gordon Brown and the Archbishit of Canterbury.