backslap

American  

[bak-slap] / ˈbækˌslæp /

verb (used with object)

backslapped, backslapping

1. to subject to backslapping.

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verb (used without object)

backslapped, backslapping

1. to engage in backslapping.

noun

1. a hearty slap on the back given as a token of affability or congratulation.

   The bridegroom received many a warm handshake and backslap.

Etymology

Origin of backslap

First recorded in 1925–30; back ¹ + slap ¹

Example Sentences

Afterward, Mbappe was consoled by his country’s president, Emmanuel Macron, while Messi was congratulated by an emir, with Qatar’s leader giving him a Bisht, a black and gold robe, and a backslap.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2022

But the eagerness to backslap Sandler for the type of puerile and incurious humor he’s been peddling for the past two decades is revealing on its own, too.

From Slate • Nov. 7, 2018

He welcomes regulars with a hug or a backslap.

From Washington Post • Dec. 27, 2016

His idiom consists exclusively of backslap and bluster.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 21, 2015

During this grilling Mr. Cooper retained an air of boyish affability: quick with a fraternal backslap, grinning broadly.

From New York Times • Mar. 10, 2011