Giving dap

Giving dap is a friendly gesture of greeting, agreement, or solidarity between two people that has become popular in Western cultures, particularly since the 1970s, stemming from African American soldiers during the Vietnam War.

[1] Giving dap can refer to presenting many kinds of positive nonverbal communication between two people, ranging from a brief moment of simple bodily contact to a complicated routine of hand slaps, shakes, and snaps.

[6] White military officials feared the handshake, believing the coded language included plans for a potential black insurrection.

[7] Combining the photographs with oral histories, Hamilton noted his discovery that "there is a tremendous diversity of daps, evolving from the dramatically different movements and meanings of each military company".

Most simply, it may be imitative (compare tap, dap), and is sometimes explained as an acronym for dignity and pride,[4] possibly a backronym.