terrorist fist jab

noun

The touching together of two people's fists, often in celebration of an accomplishment; more commonly known as a fist bump.

Meanings

nounterrorist fist jab (plural terrorist fist jabs)

plural terrorist fist jabs

  1. derogatoryhumorousThe touching together of two people's fists, often in celebration of an accomplishment; more commonly known as a fist bump.

    In hindsight, I regret not giving him a terrorist fist jab or the Islamist secret handshake. I hear he's quite adept at those.

    2009, Nathan Rabin, The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought to You by Pop Culture, Scribner, page 222
    4 more examples

    A commentator on Fox described it as a “terrorist fist jab.” Around the same time, Fox, in its crawl at the bottom of the screen, referred to Michelle as Obama's “baby mama,” as if this accomplished woman and committed parent were no more than a ghetto girlfriend.

    2008, Liza Mundy, Michelle: A Biography, Simon & Schuster, page 194

    Obama and Robert Gibbs had a ritual after every debate. When Obama came off the stage at the end, Gibbs would give him a fist bump to signify that he had done well, not "the terrorist fist jab" of Fox News's fevered imagination, just a nice tap. After the Nevada and New Hampshire primary debates, where Obama had not done well, there was no bump. But when Obama finished his first debate with John McCain at Ole Miss, Gibbs was so happy that he gave him a two-fisted bump.

    2010, Jonathan Alter, The Promise: President Obama, Year One, Simon & Schuster, page 34

    Before introducing an expert on body language, Hill would imply that viewing this as a "terrorist fist-jab" was as reasonable an interpretation as any other.

    2011, Michael Waltman, John Haas, The Communication of Hate, Peter Lang Publishing, page 119

    Later, during the presidential campaign, one Fox commentator flippantly suggested Barack and wife Michelle had greeted each other with a "terrorist fist jab". The commentator later apologised, as did another Fox commentator who had joked about assassinating Obama and Osama bin Laden after supposedly muddling their names.

    2012 January 28, David McKnight, “How an unpretentious charmer became fixated on a conspiracy of liberals”, in The Age, archived from the original on 30 Jan 2012

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

From terrorist + fist + jab, coined by Fox anchor E. D. Hill upon seeing US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama perform the gesture.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

terrorist fist jab. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terrorist%20fist%20jab

MLA

“terrorist fist jab.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terrorist%20fist%20jab. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “terrorist fist jab,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terrorist%20fist%20jab.

Source: terrorist fist jab on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.