high-five

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"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", thus the name. In addition to the standard high five, several variations exist in order to add uniqueness to the experience and to maximize satisfaction. The gesture is also known in slang as "giving skin".

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. Initiating a high five excessively can also be considered a faux pas. Initiators will sometimes ask the other participant to "give me some skin". While the origin of the high five remains unknown, its existence could very well be centuries old, as evidenced in the referencing of the "salutation of slapping palms" in poet Daniel Kamenetz's 1850 play, Among Combatants. Some in baseball circles have credited the introduction of the high five to Glenn Burke, who was known to initiate the gesture during his relatively brief career with the late 1970s Los Angeles Dodgers.^[1] However, he may have merely been a populalizer, introducing it to baseball, where it quickly spread to other American sports and on into broader culture.

A related gesture, the high ten involves raising two hands at the same time simultaneously to another person and then with both hands at the same time hitting the other persons hands. This is also commonly known as a "double" high five. If a person were to use the term "high ten" in coloquial speech, he or she would be as big of a loser as the original writer of this article, because nobody says that.

Contents 1 Variations 1.1 Air five 1.2 Too slow 1.3 Most Solid High Five 1.4 Self High Five 1.5 Butt Five 2 Low Five 3 Wheel Five 4 In popular culture 5 References 6 External links

Variations

Names are occasionally given to high five variations, of which some of the more common are named below.

Air five

Also known as a "Wi-Five", to symbolize the wireless connection you make with the other person; however, it must once again be pointed out that no one says that, and attempting to make "Wi-Five" happen would be inadvisable. An air five, sometime called a five up, is a variation of the normal high five, but instead the hands of the participants never physically touch. This is usually implemented if the two participants are too far apart to partake in a normal high five. The participants may simply pretend to high five, or may make a noise to emulate the sound with their mouths, voices or even by slapping the bottom of the forearm simultaneously to produce a slapping sound similar to a physical high five. ^[2] This form of the high five is believed to have originated by a television News Anchor in Chattanooga, TN, US, who offered to give a high five to a viewer^{[citation needed]}.

Two people engaging in the "air five"

Too slow

A variation of a high five, but engages in a high five, then pulls his/her hand away before someone can hit it. This is the only known one that may be used as an insult as well as a compliment.

• The common procedure for a "Too Slow High Five" may involve the following dialog before hand:

1. Issuer says "Give me five" (often "Gimme five" in dialect) and holds hand at shoulder height, where it is "high five"d by participant.
2. Issuer says "Up high" and holds hand above head height, where it is "high five"d by participant.
3. Issuer says "Down low" and holds hand below waist level, and participant attempts to "low five" offered hand.
4. Issuer pulls hand away at the last moment causing participant, now the victim, to miss.
5. Issuer then gloats "Too Slow!".

There are many variations on this theme, with additions of "at the side" and other hand positions for the participant to contact the issuer's hand, and thus a greater number of opportunities for the issuer to deceive their victim.

Step two: "Up high"

Step three: "Down low"

Step four: Victim misses

Step five: "Too slow"

Most Solid High Five

The most solid type of high five involves each participant concentrating their focus upon their counterpart's elbow throughout the standard high five motion. This is commonly known as the "Elbow Trick" or "Watch the Elbow." This will almost always create a perfect result, however the sting from the hand slap will be intense.^{[citation needed]}

Self High Five

Self High Five, also loosely referred to as the 'mano-a-mano'(Spanish for 'hand-to-hand') is one of the most underappreciated forms of high five mostly because it is done in solitude and when a second party is unavailable. The ‘self-high-five’ is formed by raising one hand, right or left depending on ambidexterity above the head at a slightly acute angle. Once formed, the imposing hand waits for the slower rise of the alternate hand and both palms are met above the head. Done in a celebratory fashion when honoring one’s own accomplishments or narrowly escaping a misfortune; this gratifying sign can be observed in offices, driving, and in public when surrounded by strangers and or derelicts. There is no need for a second party and therefore it is always appropriate to engage in a ‘self high five’ because of its 100% committal/approval rating. On the other hand, some opponents of the Self High Five would argue that proponents should consider making a friend.

Butt Five

The least used type of high five is the "Butt High Five". This is when two people go for a high five but miss and one or both of the participants' arms continue down the other's back, hitting the other person's butt. In a professional setting, this type of high five is called "Sexual Harrassment."

Low Five

The antithesis of the Very High Five, the low five is executed by first crouching and then offering the five at this reduced altitude. Low fives are typically offered while walking in an opposing direction to the counterparty (e.g. passing in the office hallway). Additionally, low fives may also be given in tandem when running a gauntlet of some type (e.g. the party line at the roller disco).

Wheel Five

This complex variation consists of a series of fives; one high five followed in one continuous motion by a low five with the participants' arms moving in a circular motion. This gesture was popularized in the '80's by Goose and Maverick in the movie Top Gun.

In popular culture

There have been comedic examples of fictional TV characters who high five. "The Todd" from the series Scrubs will initiate high fives excessively. Barney Stinson from the series How I Met Your Mother will celebrate various conquests with a high five; sometimes even utilizing the "hypothetical" high five. David Puddy of Seinfeld is prone to giving strangers the high five, usually as a greeting, when it is neither suitable nor appropriate. In the shortlived animated MTV series Clone High, the cloned version of Gandhi is fond of high fives. In Season 1, Episode 10, Litter Kills; Literally, Gandhi requests some under the table fives from Joan of Arc when she visits him in jail. An example of a high five "left hanging" can be seen in Season 1, Episode 3, A.D.D.: The Last 'D' Is for Disorder.

Also there is the squid. This is used when a person said something and people pretend to listen. And the listener goes up starting the give the high 5 to the first person. At the last second the person moves his hand back while touching all his fingers (resembling a squid) while moving your hand away for the person.

The high five also featured prominently in the recurring sketch "The High-Five’n White Guys" on the Seattle comedy show Almost Live!

The high five is the official greeting of Dight's Falls.

According to Guinness World Records, The current world record for “Most High-Fives in 24 Hours (individual)” is held by Blake Rodgers of Cranston, Rhode Island, USA who high-fived 3,131 people at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, USA, on September 6, 2008.

Borat from, "Da Ali G Show" initiates a high five often, in a very humorous manner. "High Five!"

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: High five

• National High Five Day is celebrated on the third Thursday in April every year.
• The Matt Gray High Five Face Off Shows many different styles of High Five.
• 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.
• High Five Hollywood
• Internet High Five
• National High Five Day Myspace

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