Secret handshake

A secret handshake is a distinct form of handshake or greeting which indicates membership in or loyalty to a club, clique or subculture.

The typical secret handshake involves placing one's fingers or thumbs in a particular position, one that will be recognized by fellow members while seeming to be a normal handshake to non-members.

In the Roman mystery religion Mithraism, members were initiated with a handshake, and members were known as syndexioi (united by the handshake).

[2] Freemasons are among the long-standing users of secret handshakes, known as "grips".

[4] Secret handshakes are also used by college fraternities in the United States, and used by members as recognition symbols in later life.