Great shakes: from the 1-4-5 to the Taliban.

On West 145th Street in New York, people say hello by using the 1-4-5, a three-part greeting that consists of a finger to the nose, four fingers placed on the chest above the heart, then a light five-finger slap. Over on West 151st Street, teens employ an exchange of grips, chops, and waves that ends by touching forefingers and thumbs, sometimes called the Taliban. Down on West 135th Street, you'll find the Tiger Claw, in which interlocking fingers held at eye level push against each other. "We'll never know every single handshake," says Michael Britto, a New York filmmaker. For the past year, Britto, 35, has filmed more than 60 hours of handshakes in New York and elsewhere for a documentary called Gimme Five: History of a Handshake. Some of Britto's most enthusiastic subjects were a group of teens in Philadelphia: Andrew Jenkins, 14, staggered toward a friend as they grimaced, rolled their eyes, and held a crooked wrist at shoulder level. After touching wrists, the two embraced. "That's called the Crazy Shake," Andrew said. "It's fun. And all the girls like it, too."