To be clear, I don’t mean any type of euphemism.

I know someone socially and whenever we greet each other or say goodbye he offers out his hand so I do the same. He then appears to squeeze as much as he can without it showing on his face. Not even a firm handshake. A blooming hard squeeze. The thing I don’t understand is, he is not so strong that he is incapable of using his hands gently, I’ve seen him manage perfectly well holding a wine glass and even blowing his nose without breaking anything. Isn’t it all a bit old school to try and show your strength this way?

better than a limp handshake!

How tall is he?

Overcompensating for fear of delivering the “wet lettuce” handshake?

No one likes a wet lettuce.

I usually do a fist bump rather than a handshake anyway. Bit less formal.

Yes, my boss does it with his huge meaty golfer’s paws. Worse, he does it with the palm down, which is massively patronising because it forces you to offer your own hand palm-up, which is a position of supplication. I’m told the way to deal with it is to place your own hand palm down on top of the other person’s hand, which will confuse the hell out of them but they won’t understand why. I haven’t got the nerve to try it on my swinging dick Alpha male golf-playing boss though.

He is about 6ft tall and quite senior in the Military if that helps?
What’s wrong with a gentle handshake?

I work occasionally with whom a hand shake consists of him sort of letting you hold his limp hand for a bit, whilst avoiding eye contact like a cashier when you’re paying by chip and pin.

I know an Israeli fella who tries to crush your hand every time, and I was shown a brilliant trick to combat it.

When you shake hands with the guy next time, point your index finger out straight. No matter how hard they squeeze, it doesn’t hurt.

It’s the idiots who wave your clasped hands up and down for ages that get my goat, why?, I mean WHY???

What’s wrong with a gentle handshake?

Nothing. If you’re greeting a lady.

Firm handshake and look you in the eyes. Know a few old school guys who do this. I like and trust them all. Firm not crush though. Never trust a limp handshaker myself.

*gives DT the “secret” brofist* 😉

*gives DT the “secret” brofist*

😀 straight from the Harlem streets!

Nothing. If you’re greeting a lady.

made me laugh, thanks

I’ve got a great response to an over firm handshake.

All my hand joints start popping and cracking.

It doesn’t half disconcert the bloke (it’s always a bloke) doing the squeezing 🙂

made me laugh, thanks

The FIL has a crushing handshake I don’t think he’s trying to prove anything it’s just how he is.

Obv after years of MTBing I have a grip that’s off the scale so he knows better than to try too hard & we just look each other in the eye in a knowing sort of way

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4aIf8Gb4fM[/video]

They only tend to do it once.
Climbing for a living and fun along with MTB and motorcycles for nearly 40yrs means being able to grip things pretty well

Slip in a walnut next time?

Fist bump is still cooler

There is nothing more disgusting and disingenuous than a limp hand shake.

Notter – Member
It’s the idiots who wave your clasped hands up and down for ages that get my goat, why?, I mean WHY???

you need to Google Mr Shake Hands Man of Banzai fame.

I have a firm handshake, it’s a man thing. Can’t stand a limp handshake, it tells you a lot about the other person.

That’s why you do this

One of our reps tries to do that slidey palm fist bump thing. I have no up idea how to do it so it ends up a mess.
He is 63.

I’m told the way to deal with it is to place your own hand palm down on top of the other person’s hand, which will confuse the hell out of them but they won’t understand why

What’s wrong with offering your own hand palm sideways thumb uppermost which, as far as I am aware, is the traditional handshake position?

10-12 years ago, I used to have to work with for Bechtel guys who’d “just flown in from SanFran”. They all tried to do this alphamale crunching handshake, so I’d just offer my left hand which’d stop them all confused, like. I had some broken and fractured bones in my right hand which would grate against each other and I’d go all white and shaky if they did “the handshake” so I avoided it.

OP
Could it be a sign and he wants you to join his special club? 😉

There is nothing more disgusting and disingenuous than a limp hand shake.

roper

He then appears to squeeze as much as he can without it showing on his face. Not even a firm handshake. A blooming hard squeeze. …. Isn’t it all a bit old school to try and show your strength this way?

Just to clarify this for you, it’s not a squeeze or a show of strength. When real men shake hands it’s an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.

You simply hold your hand as if you’re strangling an invisible dwarf then move your arm forward. When both parties shake in this manner contact is brief, and respect is gained.

contact is brief, and respect is gained

Could we not just nut people?

Make a scissors shape and shout one-nil.
(igmc…)

It’s not the handshake you need to worry about, it’s the triple kiss on the cheeks..

From blokes 😯

Make a scissors shape and shout one-nil.

Paper. Have you played this game before?

Could we not just nut people?

I’ll give it a go at work and let you know how it works out.

I had to explain to a Guy (nob) I worked with, that a firm handshake meant just that….not a crush fest! It used to actually hurt! (not that I winced of course 8) )

He looked quite disappointed.

Annoyingly, Nigerians go in for a complex ritual that involves:

Shake hands normally.
Slide hands apart slowly with fingers still in contact, clicking the middle finger and thumb loudly as they separate.

Then either:

Guffaw loudly and reach for a bottle of Gulder or Star.

Or:

Re-connect the fingers by curling them into each other’s palms.
Do a Black Power fist-to-fist bump.

It’s exhausting having meetings with Nigerians.