We need words for these things

We have long hallways at my job, and these two things happen regularly, and both things cause those little moments of awkwardness that no one likes.  Having names won't fix this, but it would be nice to have words to convey the issue.

The first is that thing that happens when you meet someone coming down the hallway.  Generally, people get to a certain point, usually a couple steps away from one another, one says "hi" or similar, the other responds, everyone keeps walking, life is good.  Occasionally, the two people inadvertently make eye contact early, and someone says "hi" too soon.  The other person responds, but you are still too far from each other to pass and it becomes an awkward 5 or 6 steps where neither person knows what to do until you are past each other.  A small thing, but awkward and weird nonetheless.

The other weirdness occurs when both people are going the same direction.  It's most awkward for the person that is rearward.  It usually happens when you are in a big hurry to get somewhere and the person in front of you is walking slower than you are, but only very slightly slower.  In order to pass, you have to walk at a uncomfortably fast pace to overtake the person ahead.  It's just a little too fast, so you can't maintain that speed, since you were already going at pretty much top speed to get where you were going.  Another small thing, but still, uncomfortable.

I assume everyone has had these things happen to them at some point, so why don't we have a word to describe these things?  Am I wrong and it doesn't happen to other people?  Are other people not saddled with the feeling of awkwardness that I am?  Does no one else care about this?  So many questions...

Hi Trace,

The situations you describe seem to come straight out of Transactional Analysis ( Games People Play, I’m OK - You’re Ok, etc).  If there is a term, that is were I would check.  Anyway, I have had similar experiences,

Trace Oswald wrote:The other weirdness occurs when both people are going the same direction.  It's most awkward for the person that is rearward.  

I get this one sometimes when I am walking home and someone else is walking in the same direction. Sometimes I'm happy to adjust my speed to walk with them for a spell, but sometimes I'm feeling less sociable and am just enjoying my walk.... Whilst I am in that overtaking mode I feel as if I am being antisocial and that I ought to be happier to walk with them (even though I don't actually want to!).
So the 'antisocial-overtaking-behaviour-of-walkers' doesn't exactly roll off the tongue!

AOB-OW?

How about when you're going through a door and there's a person behind you that isn't clearly close enough that you can hand the open door to them and isn't far enough away that you're comfortable just dropping it and letting them deal? Is that just me?

Trace Oswald wrote:The other weirdness occurs when both people are going the same direction.  It's most awkward for the person that is rearward.  It usually happens when you are in a big hurry to get somewhere and the person in front of you is walking slower than you are, but only very slightly slower.  In order to pass, you have to walk at a uncomfortably fast pace to overtake the person ahead.  It's just a little too fast, so you can't maintain that speed, since you were already going at pretty much top speed to get where you were going.  Another small thing, but still, uncomfortable.

This happened to me once when I was a new mother carrying my son in my arms. Ahead of me was an elderly man in a wheelchair, wheeling himself along by pushing on the wheels. He was going a little slower than me but it felt sort of wrong to just walk past, and I had a baby in my arms so I couldn't offer to push. Then I had an idea...

"If you hold the baby I'll push!"

The chair stopped instantly and a pair of arms stretched up to receive the baby! We made friends and a few years later my son attended his photography lessons and learned to develop his own black and white film and make prints. I still have a book of his photos somewhere, signed and everything - Byd Ron - Ron's World

I don't feel this is the word/words you are looking for though this happens to me at the grocery store aisles.

I call what I do is `social distancing`.  I usually turn around and go the other way.

Maybe `chance encounter` might work for you.

"Awkward greeting" and "awkward passing" don't have the poetry of all those German and Japanese words for funny phenomena that English doesn't capture as well.

Christopher Weeks wrote:How about when you're going through a door and there's a person behind you that isn't clearly close enough that you can hand the open door to them and isn't far enough away that you're comfortable just dropping it and letting them deal? Is that just me?

Oh, it's not you brother, I get that one all the time too.

Burra Maluca wrote:
"If you hold the baby I'll push!"

That is the classic 'feeding each other in heaven' result - well done!

Christopher Weeks wrote:How about when you're going through a door and there's a person behind you that isn't clearly close enough that you can hand the open door to them and isn't far enough away that you're comfortable just dropping it and letting them deal? Is that just me?

Tell me you're not from Boston, without telling me all the places you've ever lived. (yeah, I just read about where you ended up...)

Christopher Weeks wrote:"Awkward greeting" and "awkward passing" don't have the poetry of all those German and Japanese words for funny phenomena that English doesn't capture as well.

For those who are curious, this is what google thinks those would be in German: peinliche Begrüßung and ungeschicktes Passspiel, respectively.  Not sure either will take off here though.  Not as cool as schadenfreude....

Mike Haasl wrote:........... Not as cool as schadenfreude....

...but also not as unwieldy as Kraftfahrzeughaftpflichtversicherung... (motor vehicle liability insurance)

:-)

Pre-salutation
Entrance interuptus

ACE - awkward close encounters?   Personally I just nod, acknowledging another's presence, and the door thing - I always hold the door open, provided I have heard the other person coming up behind.

Well we have.a thing we call Wall Hug
For the approach -- especially when the passing person is carrying a pile of stuff