ham
noun
[ ham ]
• salted or smoked meat from the upper part of a pig's leg.
• "thin slices of ham"
• the back of the thigh or the thighs and buttocks.
• "he squatted down on his hams"
Origin:
Old English ham, hom (originally denoting the back of the knee), from a Germanic base meaning ‘be crooked’. In the late 15th century the term came to denote the back of the thigh, hence the thigh or hock of an animal.
ham
noun
• an excessively theatrical actor.
• "ham actors"
• an amateur radio operator.
ham
verb
• overact.
• "she hammed it up for the cameras"
Origin:
late 19th century (originally US): perhaps from the first syllable of amateur; compare with the US slang term hamfatter ‘inexpert performer’. ham2 (sense 2 of the noun) dates from the early 20th century.
