elbow bump

American  

[el-boh buhmp] / ˈɛl boʊ ˌbʌmp /

noun

1. a gesture of greeting, farewell, friendship, etc., in which two people with forearms drawn in to the torso present their bent arms, and bump each other's elbow or forearm.

   Does an elbow bump really spread fewer germs than a handshake or a high five?

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Etymology

Origin of elbow bump

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

Begin to reach out your hand, stop, look as if you just remembered something, then convert your movement to the elbow bump that is now becoming commonplace.

From Washington Post • Jan. 13, 2022

If you want, you can offer an alternative gesture of greeting, which could range from a fist bump, an elbow bump, a namaste gesture or the wai gesture of Thailand.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 1, 2021

Onstage, they smiled and shared an elbow bump, abiding by health officials’ advice to avoid handshakes.

From Reuters • Mar. 16, 2020

And in a new moment of “social distancing” should these two septuagenarian men who are in an at-risk age group make a gesture of doing something else entirely — like an elbow bump?

From New York Times • Mar. 14, 2020

“How about an elbow bump instead? It’s hygienic and fun!”

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi