Low five
The low five is a hand gesture when two people slap palms together. One party extends an open palm, face upward at about waist level, the other party strikes the palm in a downward swing with their open palm. It is sometimes known as "slapping five", "give me five", or "giving/slapping skin". Archaic terms for it include "slip-slapping", "slapping the plank" and "soul shake".[1]
The gesture is an antecedent of the high five which appeared in the 1970s.[2]
History
The low five had been known since at least the 1920s when it was used as a symbol of unity among African-Americans,[3] and had more of a status as an underground symbol of solidarity than as a widespread gesture.[2] In African-American English this was known as "giving skin" or "slapping skin".[3]
In the 1927 film
Variations
Variations that evolved in the black community include five on the black hand side (giving skin on the darker outer hand side) and five on the sly (a low five behind the back).[3]
See also
References
- ISBN 9780812830514.
- ^ a b Zachary Crockett. "The Inventor of the High Five". Priceonomics.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
- ^ a b c d Geneva Smitherman. Word From The Mother: Language and African Americans, Taylor & Francis, Apr 19, 2006. Pg. 113.
- ISBN 978-0-19-975697-1. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ "USATODAY.com - Dancer Fayard Nicholas dies at 91". www.usatoday.com.