One Hand Clapping is a 1961 work by Anthony Burgess published originally under the pseudonym Joseph Kell in the UK.

Burgess deliberately toned down his trademark love of vocabulary for the novel, which among other things lampoons the British television host Hughie Green.

Another novel by Anthony Burgess, The Enemy in The Blanket, also has a title that is a translation of a Malay proverb ("Musuh Dalam Selimut").

He gambles his winnings on race horses and the couple become extremely wealthy and travel the world, staying in luxury hotels.

On their return, however, Howard, disgusted by the corruption of the world they have seen - and troubled by prophetic glimpses of a coming decline in civilisation - declares that they must commit suicide together by barbiturates.