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backslapping

[bak-slap-ing] /ˈbækˌslæp ɪŋ/
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noun
1.
the practice of making a loud and effusive display of friendliness, cordiality, etc., as by slapping persons on the back.
Origin of backslapping
1770-1780
First recorded in 1770-80; back1 + slapping
Related forms
backslapper, noun

backslap

[bak-slap] /ˈbækˌslæp/
verb (used with object), backslapped, backslapping.
1.
to subject to backslapping.
verb (used without object), backslapped, backslapping.
2.
to engage in backslapping.
noun
3.
a hearty slap on the back given as a token of affability or congratulation:
The bridegroom received many a warm handshake and backslap.
Origin
First recorded in 1925-30; back1 + slap1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
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Examples from the Web for back-slapping
Historical Examples

  • Isn't the thing he lacks the back-slapping jocosity that passes for humor here?

    Main Street Sinclair Lewis

  • Only the Governor's back-slapping mediation had allowed them to reach a politically stable relationship.

    A Mixture of Genius Arnold Castle

  • Such hand-shaking and back-slapping and outcries of honest pleasure as greeted him!

    Grenfell: Knight-Errant of the North Fullerton Waldo

  • Here happened that accident of the back-slapping so frequently alluded to by her ladyship.

    All Sorts and Conditions of Men Walter Besant

  • Loud, back-slapping men, gabbling endlessly about baseball players.

    A Book of Burlesques

         H. L. Mencken
British Dictionary definitions for back-slapping

back-slapping

adjective
1.
energetically jovial; hearty
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Slang definitions & phrases for back-slapping

back-slapping

adjective

Demonstratively friendly: the back-slapping jocosity that passes for humor here (1777+)

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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Difficulty index for backslapping

Few English speakers likely know this word

Word Value for back

12
14
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Nearby words for back-slapping

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