fist jab
- noun
- /fɪst dʒæb/
- Informal
:
puñetazo
- Instead of shaking hands, they greeted each other with a fist jab.
Examples
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After the win, the two players exchanged a quick fist jab and smiled.
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As a sign of support, she gave her friend a fist jab before the exam.
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Let's do a fist jab to celebrate our success!
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He greeted his friend with a fist jab.
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After the win, the two players exchanged a quick fist jab and smiled.
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Instead of shaking hands, they greeted each other with a fist jab.
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As a sign of support, she gave her friend a fist jab before the exam.
Synonyms
A light, playful poke to show friendship or affection
How Celebratory
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally interpretable — 'fist' + 'jab' signals a quick, sharp movement made with a closed hand, so learners can infer a brief contact or poke. However, the conventionalized social-gesture meaning (a friendly greeting/celebration/solidarity touch) is pragmatic and may be mistaken for an aggressive strike without prior exposure, so it is not fully predictable.
Etymology
Fist jab may come from a quick sports gesture: imagine two people briefly touching the knuckles of their closed fist—a small jab, like a friendly mini-punch instead of a handshake. That's why fist jab means a short touch of fists used as a 'greeting', a sign of 'support', or a small 'celebration'.