Five Fingered Salute

[Jonathon Green]

>    "Five fingered salute" does not appear in Jonathon Green's CASSELL
> DICTIONARY OF SLANG or the HDAS.  Both have many other "five finger"
citations,
> however.


More relevant, dare I say, are the listed 'salutes': one- and two-finger,
jailhouse, one-gun, Italian, Australian, Queensland, Barcoo and Salmon Arm.
But I've never encountered the 'five-fingered' version nor can I envisage
quite what it means. It sounds like a clenched fist, but while that can be
aggressive or celebratory, it has surely never been derogatory (or at least
in UK/US). Or a hand, waving in dismissal? If someone could enlighten me, I
shall be happy to give it a home.

Jonathon Green