What is "fist"

Index \In"dex\, n.; pl. E. Indexes, L. Indices(?). [L.: cf. F. index. See Indicate, Diction.]

1. That which points out; that which shows, indicates, manifests, or discloses; as, the increasing unemployment rate is an index of how much the economy has slowed.

   Tastes are the indexes of the different qualities of plants.
   --Arbuthnot.

2. That which guides, points out, informs, or directs; a pointer or a hand that directs to anything, as the hand of a watch, a movable finger or other form of pointer on a gauge, scale, or other graduated instrument. In (printing), a sign [[hand]] (called also fist) used to direct particular attention to a note or paragraph.

3. A table for facilitating reference to topics, names, and the like, in a book, usually giving the page on which a particular word or topic may be found; -- usually alphabetical in arrangement, and printed at the end of the volume. Typically found only in non-fiction books.

4. A prologue indicating what follows. [Obs.]
   --Shak.

5. (Anat.) The second finger, that next to the pollex (thumb), in the manus, or hand; the forefinger; index finger.

6. (Math.) The figure or letter which shows the power or root of a quantity; the exponent. [In this sense the plural is always indices.]

7. The ratio, or formula expressing the ratio, of one dimension of a thing to another dimension; as, the vertical index of the cranium.

8. A number providing a measure of some quantity derived by a formula, usually a form of averaging, from multiple quantities; -- used mostly in economics; as, the index of leading indicators; the index of industrial production; the consumer price index. See, for example, the consumer price index.

9. (computers) A file containing a table with the addresses of data items, arranged for rapid and convenient search for the addresses.

10. (computers) A number which serves as a label for a data item and also represents the address of a data item within a table or array.

11. (R. C. Ch.), The Index prohibitorius, a catalogue of books which are forbidden by the church to be read; also called Index of forbidden books and Index Librorum Prohibitorum.

    Index error, the error in the reading of a mathematical instrument arising from the zero of the index not being in complete adjustment with that of the limb, or with its theoretically perfect position in the instrument; a correction to be applied to the instrument readings equal to the error of the zero adjustment.

    Index expurgatorius. [L.] See Index prohibitorius (below).

    Index finger. See Index, 5.

    Index glass, the mirror on the index of a quadrant, sextant, etc.

    Index hand, the pointer or hand of a clock, watch, or other registering machine; a hand that points to something.

    Index of a logarithm (Math.), the integral part of the logarithm, and always one less than the number of integral figures in the given number. It is also called the characteristic.

    Index of refraction, or Refractive index (Opt.), the number which expresses the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction. Thus the index of refraction for sulphur is 2, because, when light passes out of air into sulphur, the sine of the angle of incidence is double the sine of the angle of refraction.

    Index plate, a graduated circular plate, or one with circular rows of holes differently spaced; used in machines for graduating circles, cutting gear teeth, etc.

    Index prohibitorius [L.], or Prohibitory index (R. C. Ch.), a catalogue of books which are forbidden by the church to be read; the index expurgatorius [L.], or expurgatory index, is a catalogue of books from which passages marked as against faith or morals must be removed before Catholics can read them. These catalogues are published with additions, from time to time, by the Congregation of the Index, composed of cardinals, theologians, etc., under the sanction of the pope.
    --Hook.

    Index rerum [L.], a tabulated and alphabetized notebook, for systematic preservation of items, quotations, etc.

Old English fyst "fist, clenched hand," from West Germanic *fustiz (cognates: Old Saxon fust, Old High German fust, Old Frisian fest, Middle Dutch vuust, Dutch vuist, German Faust), from Proto-Germanic *funhstiz, probably ultimately from PIE *penkwe- "five" (see five, and compare Old Church Slavonic pesti, Russian piasti "fist").\n

\nMeaning "a blow with the fist" is from 1767. Fist-fight "duel with the fists" is from c.1600. As a verb, Old English had fystlian "to strike with the fist."

Etymology 1 n. 1 The act of breaking wind; fise. 2 A puffball. vb. (context intransitive English) To break wind. Etymology 2

n. 1 hand with the fingers clenched or curled inward 2 (context printing English) the pointing hand symbol ☞ 3 (context ham radio English) the characteristic signaling rhythm of an individual telegraph or continuous wave operator when sending Morse code 4 (context slang English) a person's characteristic handwriting 5 A group of men. 6 The talons of a bird of prey. 7 (context informal English) An attempt at something. vb. 1 To strike with the fist. 2 To close (the hand) into a fist. 3 To grip with a fist. 4 (context slang English) To fist-fuck.

n. a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting) [syn: clenched fist]

A fist is a hand with fingers curled into the palm and thumb retracted, displaying the knuckles.

Fist or FIST may also refer to:

• Fist (typography), the symbol ☞

is a 3D polygon-based fighting video game developed by Genki and CAPS and published by Imagineer for the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Saturn game consoles. It is the third game in the Seifuku Densetsu Pretty Fighter series and the first in the series not only in 3D, but also to feature playable male characters.

Fist are an English heavy metal band hailing from South Shields, North East UK. Fist were one of the original bands that were considered to be part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement in the late 1970s and early 1980. The band first formed in April 1978 as Axe, but only recorded one song ("S.S. Giro") under that name. The group reformed in late 1979 under the new name of Fist, soon signing with Neat Records and releasing their first single, "Name, Rank and Serial Number" in April 1980. This single did good business with heavy radio rotation and good sales. The single was praised in the pages of Sounds, and bigger things were anticipated for the band as they signed with MCA, releasing a second single and preparing a full-length record for the end of the year. Turn the Hell On was released and the band toured with the likes of UFO, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Unfortunately, the LP suffered from a poor mix and MCA didn't have any real experience of dealing with metal bands and promoted the band poorly. Turn the Hell On inevitably failed to satisfy the label saleswise and Fist were dropped by MCA in early 1981.

Apart from a couple of compilation appearances (including the old 1978 Axe recording of "S.S. Giro" showing up on the Neat compilation Lead Weight), Fist went unheard from for a short time, re-vamping the line-up in July 1981 and issuing their second LP, Back with a Vengeance, on Neat in early 1982. Ironically the album had a better mix but a truly awful album cover, almost the complete opposite of the previous effort Turn the Hell On. This new line-up included lead vocalist Glenn Coates from Hollow Ground, John Roach from Mythra, bassist Norman Appleby as well as Hill and Irwin. Reviews were favourable for this album, with a few minor quibbles about the band sounding "too American" due to Glenn Coates smoother vocals. However, due to limited distribution and scarce label funds the album never took off. The band seemed a little restrained also, mainly gigging locally in the North East UK. Fist went through a few more changes from that point until finally and officially disbanding in 1985.

Despite failing to sell in "significant numbers", Fist were singled out for praise by a number of critics for writing catchy choruses and resisting the clichéd heavy metal lyrics of many other NWOBHM bands, that primarily sang about the occult; "You'll Never Get Me Up (In One of Those)", for example, is about fear of flying, while "Throwing in the Towel" is about an ageing boxer unhappy to be back in the ring. "Name, Rank and Serial Number" in particular is considered an all-time classic by many rock and metal fans.

In 2001, original frontman Keith Satchfield formed a new version of Fist which included members of Hollow Ground as well as guest musicians. This lineup released a new album, Storm, in 2005. The music on this album had a much heavier feel than anything Fist had previously released. The album received a mixed reception, with some camps preferring the older more classic sounding material and other camps criticising the "synthetic" sound of the recordings especially the drums. There was some initial activity with this line-up e.g., a one off show at Headbangers Open Air in Germany, however, due to ill health, the band remained inactive shortly afterwards and again the album failed to make any major impact.

In 2013, Fist reformed with original members Harry "Hiroshima" Hill, Davey Irwin and Norman Appleby from the Back with Vengeance period. Added to this line-up was new frontman Glenn S. Howes, a veteran of the NWOBHM scene after spending time in such luminaries as Blitzkrieg, Tygers of Pan Tang and Avenger. This line-up debuted at the Bro Fest festival in the UK in 2014, headlining the Friday night to much expectation and excitement. The resulting reviews pouring great admiration for the band and the new formation. Fist continue to play live across the world with this line up and as of 2015 have rumoured to be writing songs for a new album.

A fist is an action where a hand has the fingers curled into the palm and the thumb retracted, displaying the knuckles. There can be an open fist or a closed fist.

Formation of a fist for the purpose of punching is the most basic knowledge taught in the sport of boxing. Fists are taught in martial arts like karate, kung fu, and taekwondo for the process of punching and striking. Fight 100% says "more than 90% of the people actually don't know how to make a fist correctly", and adds that correct formation means the user "won't break [their] hand", "won't strain their wrist", will "be able to launch very powerful punches", and "be able to knock someone out in one punch".

Fists are also well-known revolution symbols—as "persistent symbol[s] of resistance and unity", in the form of a raised fist.

Various phenomema, which include the term "fist" in their name such as the sexual act of fisting or the fist bump greeting, involve the use of a fist.

Improper formation of the fist whilst punching or striking an object can cause bruising and broken small bones in the hand known as Boxer's Fracture. Boxer's Fracture occurs when metacarpals or small bones in the hand break on the side of the pinky and ring finger. The name derives from the fact that such injuries are most common in boxers and practitioners of other fighting arts.''' '''

Making a fist is virtually unknown amongst other primates. This is because while "most primate hands are long of palm and finger [and] short of thumb", the proportions are the opposite for humans.

At least one study has claimed that the clenching of one's fist can be used to recall information.

Some studies have shown that making fists can help humans to cope with stress or anxiety because the mind gets preoccupied with the tightening of the muscle to focus on the issue at hand.

The act of creating a fist is known as "making a fist" or "clenching a fist".