I was familiar with the phrase, but not the origin. Since "motie" is somewhat hard to search for (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy?), here's a reference p

I was familiar with the phrase, but not the origin. Since "motie" is somewhat hard to search for (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy?), here's a reference page in case others are interested: In the science fiction classic The Mote in God’s Eye, we are introduced to the Moties, a species that is trapped near a star without interstellar travel, but that has evolved extraordinary abilities. Anatomically, the Moties have two normal hands … and a third one, which gives them the ability to make and manipulate tools with great dexterity. This leads to the idiom of “on the gripping hand,” following “on the one hand or the other,” and suggesting another way, a better alternative. https://ellingtonlab.org/blog/2014/12/1/on-the-gripping-hand https://ellingtonlab.org/blog/2014/12/1/on-the-gripping-hand