High five

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.

High fiving.

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.

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.

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.

Variations

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

Low five

The low five, a variant of the high five, can be traced back as far as the 1920s. 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.

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  Two people engaging in the "low five"

The high five in general is a method of establishing a informal relationship.

Air five

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. This form of the high five is believed to have originated by a television News Anchor in Chattanooga, US, who offered to give a high five to a viewer .

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  Two people engaging in the "air five"

Very high five

Also known as "going up" or the "Jump Five", this is a variation of the high five which is typified by both parties jumping to high five in mid-air. It is used for extremely enthusiastic celebrations, for example a victory in a sporting event. For particularly enthusiastic occasions, a running start may be used whereby the participants run towards one another before leaping on top of each other. A very high five may consist of tricks such as jumps, spins, kicks, flips, cartwheels, pelvic thrusts, and other additions to make it more like a "very" high five.

• Two people engaging in the "very high five"
  Two people engaging in the "very high 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 "high five" offered hand.
4. Issuer pulls hand away at the last moment causing participant, now the victim, to miss.
5. Issuer then states "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.

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 bottom. Do this too often and you'll be in trouble.

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  Step two: "Up high"
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  Step three: "Down low"
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  Step four: Victim misses
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  Step five: "Too slow"

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 Ghandi is fond of high fives. In Season 1, Episode 10, Litter Kills; Litterally, Ghandi 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.

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 CenterTM in Providence, Rhode Island, USA, on September 6th 2008

Did you Know?

Fact: You can high-five for thirty minutes straight with no next day repercussions, however it will hurt during the process.

External links

• 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
• Virtual High Five
• Internet High Five
• National High Five Day Myspace