On the gripping hand (idiom)

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On the gripping hand is an expression found in the science fiction novel The Gripping Hand by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. The "gripping hand" is used literally here, and in their previous work, The Mote in God's Eye, to refer to the strongest of the three asymmetrical arms of the alien "Moties", some species of which have two weaker arms with better fine control on one side and a single much stronger arm on the other side.

It is used figuratively in the form "on one hand we have A, on the other hand we have B, on the gripping hand we have C", an expression that moties find natural to use, since they have three hands. The expression is adopted by humans who have contacted moties, and it's used as a crucial plot element on the second book, The Gripping Hand.

Contents 1 Figurative use 1.1 Usage in real world 2 Notes 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Figurative use

In the second book, The Gripping Hand, it is used figuratively when presenting a third choice or fact after two others, usually after the second is presented with the phrase "on the other hand". (For the third choice, one could say "on the third hand", but the point here is, humans don't have a third hand.)

Thus, a discussion of choices could follow the typical English pattern of saying "We could do this, but on the other hand we could do that," followed by what would in conventional English be a non sequitur, "but on the gripping hand, there's another alternative."^[1] In keeping with the idea that this represents the strongest arm, the last choice is often the most unpleasant or difficult to deal with, or the strongest or most compelling.

This figurative use is a crucial repetitive designation on the second book. It starts as an indication that moties have contacted humans outside their system, as a human being would never think by himself of an expression that requires to have three hands, and keeps being used through the book as characters have to take decisions. At the end of the book it becomes the center of the discussion with moties, as moties insist that they have to choose between two different options, and the main characters will present them with a third choice, the "gripping hand" choice.^{[n 1]}

[edit] Usage in real world

Some of the more devoted fans of Niven and Pournelle will sometimes slip into this metaphor in regular speech, often resulting in some confusion for the listener. The abbreviation OTGH, modeled on OTOH, is also used in some SF discussion groups.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ The two options are staying bottled in their home system versus expanding outside, which would mean spreading their eternal war through the whole universe. The main characters give them a third choice, a cure that will slow down their excessive reproduction rate to the point where they can expand peacefully.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Jargon File entry