English

Noun

glad hand ‎(plural glad hands)

1. A warm welcome offered to a guest by a host.
   • 1964, "Most Likely to Succeed," Time, 19 June:

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

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

Related terms

• glad-hand (verb)