When two people are attempting to shake hands and some sort of mishap occurs such as one person partially missing the other person'
s hand and ending up shaking just their fingers.
Grabbing just fingers is terrible and is sometimes misinterpreted as giving someone a limp fish handshake. Both the limp fish and just fingers make a terrible impression on both close
friends and complete strangers leading to harsh reactions ranging from a moment of unspoken awkwardness, to outright ridicule or
even death in some cultures.
Therefore if a handshake mishap occurs the best resolution is to immediately
ask for a handshake reset. While this will not completely absolve the handshake mishap it does go a long
way towards making things right.
Guy 1: Damn it! I was on my job interview and there was a handshake mishap and I ended up grabbing just fingers.
Guy 2: Did the interviewer say
anything?
Guy 1: No but I could tell there was just a moment of unspoken awkwardness. He probably thought I was giving him the limp fish and was put off by it.
Guy 2: Did you ask for a handshake reset?
Guy 1: No I totally blanked!
Guy 2: Dude you're fucked! No way you're getting that
job. You should have just walked out
mid-interview and saved everyone'
s time. At least be glad he didn't kill you because he was within his rights to do so. I know I would have.