making it useless for weapon holding

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diamondcutter

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As for why shaking hands was deemed a good method of greeting, rather than some other gesture, the most popular explanation is that it incapacitates the right hand, making it useless for weapon holding.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/606627/handshake-origins

I wonder if “making it useless for weapon holding” above means “making it impossible for the right hand to hold weapons”.
 

Glizdka

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Unless you're left-handed, or ambidextrous, yes.
 
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GoesStation

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Not a teacher

Unless you're left-handed, or ambidextrous, yes.
It makes it impossible to hold a weapon in the right hand regardless.
 

diamondcutter

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Thanks, teachers.

making it useless for weapon holding

I think the “it’ above in the original sentence refers to the right hand. Am I right?
 

Tarheel

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Yes. That is right.
 

diamondcutter

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If I change making it useless for weapon holding to making it useless for holding a weapon, does the meaning also change?

If not, I think the following two sentences have the same meaning.

His hands are useless for playing the piano.

His hands are useless for the piano playing.
 

GoesStation

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If I change making it useless for weapon holding to making it useless for holding a weapon, does the meaning also change?

If not, I think the following two sentences have the same meaning.

His hands are useless for playing the piano.

His hands are useless for [STRIKE]the[/STRIKE] piano playing.
That's right.
 

Tdol

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Does he have a problem with his hands?
 

Charlie Bernstein

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As for why shaking hands was deemed a good method of greeting, rather than some other gesture, the most popular explanation is that it incapacitates the right hand, making it useless for weapon holding.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/606627/handshake-origins

I wonder if “making it useless for weapon holding” above means “making it impossible for the right hand to hold weapons”.
It means making it useless for holding a weapon.

But my understanding is that the practice came from gripping one another's arms to see if there was a weapon up the other's sleeve.
 
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