glad hand

¹ American  

noun

Informal.

1. a hearty welcome or enthusiastic reception, especially one that is effusive or hypocritical.

   Visiting dignitaries were being given the glad hand.

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glad-hand ² American  

[glad-hand] / ˈglædˌhænd /

verb (used with object)

1. to greet warmly.

2. to greet in an insincerely effusive manner.

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verb (used without object)

1. to greet others with enthusiasm, especially feigned enthusiasm.

   The candidate spent weeks glad-handing around the state.

glad hand British  

noun

1. 1. a welcoming hand

   2. a welcome

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verb

1. (tr) to welcome by or as if by offering a hand

glad hand Idioms  

1. A warm and hearty but often insincere welcome or greeting, as in Politicians are apt to give the glad hand to one and all. [Slang; late 1800s]

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Other Word Forms

• glad-hander noun

Etymology

Origin of glad hand¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Origin of glad-hand¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

But for all the talk of South Carolina’s penchant for dirty tricks, the state also values the glad hand.

From New York Times

But even as Mr. Xi has offered a glad hand to those and other world leaders in recent weeks, it has been only the cold shoulder for the United States.

From New York Times

One vet wrote of his reception at home that, “instead of glad hands, people stare at a khaki-clad man as though he had escaped from the zoo.”

From Salon

He doesn’t swing at big checkbooks or institutions, certainly nothing solid enough to bruise the glad hand.

From The Guardian

So when Mr. Paul, Republican of Kentucky, showed up to glad hand with voters, Mr. Brinkley was waiting.

From New York Times