HIGH-FIVE

noun and verb (Youth Culture) In US slang, noun: A celebratory gesture (originally used in basketball and baseball) in which two people slap their right hands together high over their heads; often in the phrase to lay down or slap high-fives. Hence also figuratively: celebration, jubilation. intransitive verb: To lay down high-fives in celebration of something or as a greeting; to celebrate. Etymology: Formed by compounding: a five (that is, a hand-slap; compare British slang bunch of fives for a hand or fist) that is performed high over the head. History and Usage: The high-five was originally a gesture developed for use in basketball, where it first appeared among the University of Louisville team in the 1979-80 season; Louisville player Derek Smith claims to have coined the name. By 1980 it was also being used widely in baseball, especially to welcome a player to the plate after a home run (and in this respect is similar to the hugs and other celebratory gestures used by British football players). Television exposure soon made it a fashionable gesture among young people generally; what ensured its eventual importation to the UK was its adoption by the Teenage Mutant Turtles (in the form high-three, since Turtles do not have fingers) as a jubilant greeting. All that touched off a wild celebration of hugs, high-fives and champagne spraying. USA Today 14 Oct. 1987, p. 1 A month has passed since the election and still Republicans and Democrats are high-fiving. Maclean's 2 Apr. 1990, p. 11 So with a flying leap and a double high-five the two teammates celebrated the start of a new season. Sports Illustrated Dec. 1990, p. 16