glad-hand (third-person singular simple presentglad-hands,present participleglad-handing,simple past and past participleglad-handed)
- (transitive) To beoverlyfriendly with (astranger) in order togain anadvantage.
1948 February 9, “The Presidency: Getting Ready”, inTime[1], archived fromthe original on2011-02-01:Not in many a moon had heglad-handed so many people.[…] The President, in fact, behaved noticeably like a candidate for reelection.
2022 May 26, Peter Bradshaw, “Pacifiction review – trouble in paradise, in apocalyptic Tahitian mystery”, inThe Guardian[2]:He hangs out at the local club owned by Morton, another white expatriate, played by the reliably unsettling Sergi López, and De Roller grinningly ogles the almost naked bar staff andglad-hands all the other seedy officials there.
- To extend aglad hand (to someone); towelcome warmly.
