glad hand

plural glad hands

1. A warm welcome offered to a guest by a host.

   And with that he gave me the "glad hand" and a pat on the shoulder.

   1917 July 28, The Electrical Experimenter, New York, page 180, column 2

   1 more example

   The young men who will get the corporate glad hand are some of the most sought after graduates of the class of '64.

   1964 June 19, “Most Likely to Succeed”, in Time

2. A coupling device used on semi-trailer trucks for attaching air brake lines from the tractor to the trailer.