- This article is about the gesture. For other uses, see High five (disambiguation).
- "Gimme five" redirects here. For the ITV children's show, see Gimme 5.
A high five is a celebratory gesture made by two people, each raising one hand to slap the raised hand of the other — usually meant to communicate mutual satisfaction to spectators or to extend congratulations from one person to another. The arms are usually extended into the air to form the "high" part, and the five fingers of each hand meet, making the "five". Several variations on the standard high five exist in order to add uniqueness to the experience and to maximize satisfaction. One such variation is the "flipside", also called the "windmill"; this method begins like a regular high five, however upon meeting up top, both high-fivers continue to swing their arms downwards until they meet again in a "low five". This method is depicted in the feature film Top Gun repeatedly. Names are occasionally given to high fives in order to add uniqueness. Examples of fictional characters who do this are the character of "The Todd" from the series Scrubs, and Barney Stinson from the series How I Met Your Mother. If one initiates a high five by raising a hand into the air and no one consummates the celebration by slapping the raised hand, the initiator is said to be "left hanging." This is considered to be a somewhat embarrassing faux pas.
Contents |
Origins
The high five, although not known by that name, actually appeared as early as 1955, during the November 15, 1955 episode "The Eating Contest" of The Phil Silvers Show. It has also been suggested that NASA invented the high-five, as it was a popular gesture among test pilots in the 1950s. In the movie Cover Girl (1944), co-starring Phil Silvers, his character, Genius, after tearing up a telegram, attempts to "high five" co-star Gene Kelly, thereby predating both of the prior entries.
The Low Five
The low five, a slightly less popular variant of the high five, can be documented as far back as the 1920's. In the 1927 film The Jazz Singer, an ecstatic Al Jolson gives another character the low five upon hearing that he was asked to audition for a Broadway revue.
References
External links
- National High Five Day is celebrated on the third Thursday in April every year. The Seventh Annual National High Five Day will occur on April 17, 2008.
- High Five Me includes further information on the history and different forms of the high five, plus detailed information on the science of the high five.
- The Man Who Invented the High-Five includes the story of Glenn Burke's supposed invention of the high five.
- Gimme Five: History of a Handshake documentary.
|
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Friendly gestures | A-ok · Air kiss · Big up · Cheek kissing · Dap greeting · Thumbs up · Fist pound · Namaste · High five |  |
| Formal gestures | Bowing · Curtsey · Hand-kissing · Genuflection · Pranam | |
| Salutes | Salute · Bellamy salute · Final Salute · Hitler salute · Roman salute · Royal Salute · Scout sign and salute · Three-finger salute · Two-finger salute | |
| Celebration gestures | Applause · Fist pump · Gator Chomp · Gig 'em Aggies · High five / Gimme five · Hook 'em Horns · Tomahawk Chop | |
| Obscene gestures | Bowfinger · Corna · Finger · Mooning · Shocker · Moutza | |
| Other | Air quotes · Anasyrma · Articulatory gestures · Crossed fingers · Gang signal · Hand gesture · Head bobble · Jazz hands · Lock and fly · Manual communication · Mudra · Nod · Poke · Pollice verso · Puppy face · Raised fist · Shaka sign / Hang loose · Shrug · Sign of the Cross · Thai greeting · Type of gesture · Varadamudra · V sign · Vulcan salute · War Chant · | |
| List of gestures | ||
