on the gripping hand In the progression that starts On the one hand... and continues On the other hand... mainstream English may add on the third hand... even though most people don't have three hands. Among hackers, it is just as likely to be on the gripping hand. This metaphor supplied the title of Larry Niven Jerry Pournelle's 1993 SF novel The Gripping Hand which involved a species of hostile aliens with three arms (the same species, in fact, referenced in juggling eggs ). As with TANSTAAFL and con , this usage became one of the naturalized imports from SF fandom frequently observed among hackers.