English

Noun

terrorist fist jab ‎(plural terrorist fist jabs)

1. (pejorative, derogatory) The hitting together of two people's fists, often in celebration of an accomplishment; coloquially known as a fist bump.
   • 2008, Liza Mundy, Michelle: A Biography, Simon & Schuster, page 194:

     A commentator on Fox described it as a “terrorist fist jab.” Around the same time, Fox, in its crawl at the bottom of the screen, referred to Michelle as Obama's “baby mama,” as if this accomplished woman and committed parent were no more than a ghetto girlfriend.

   • 2009, Nathan Rabin, The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought to You by Pop Culture, Scribner, page 222:

     In hindsight, I regret not giving him a terrorist fist jab or the Islamist secret handshake. I hear he's quite adept at those.

   • 2010, Jonathan Alter, The Promise: President Obama, Year One, Simon & Schuster, page 34:

     Obama and Robert Gibbs had a ritual after every debate. When Obama came off the stage at the end, Gibbs would give him a fist bump to signify that he had done well, not "the terrorist fist jab" of Fox News's fevered imagination, just a nice tap. After the Nevada and New Hampshire primary debates, where Obama had not done well, there was no bump. But when Obama finished his first debate with John McCain at Ole Miss, Gibbs was so happy that he gave him a two-fisted bump.

   • 2011, Michael Waltman, John Haas, The Communication of Hate, Peter Lang Publishing, page 119:

     Before introducing an expert on body language, Hill would imply that viewing this as a "terrorist fist-jab" was as reasonable an interpretation as any other.

   • 2012 January 28, McKnight, David, “How an unpretentious charmer became fixated on a conspiracy of liberals”, in The Age:

     Later, during the presidential campaign, one Fox commentator flippantly suggested Barack and wife Michelle had greeted each other with a "terrorist fist jab". The commentator later apologised, as did another Fox commentator who had joked about assassinating Obama and Osama bin Laden after supposedly muddling their names.

Quotations

For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:terrorist fist jab.

Related terms

• fist bump
• Fo' Knucks
• knuckle bump
• knuckle touch

See also

• Appendix:American Dialect Society most outrageous words of the year

References

• Most Outrageous Word of the Year, American Dialect Society