ham n.2
1. an incompetent, esp. one who poses as more expert than his performance – often in sport – shows him to be.
Daily L.A. Herald 13 Aug. 2/3: He would wither the peerless pair by calling them ‘jays’ [...] or ‘ranks,’ or perhaps ‘hams’. | ||
World (N.Y.) 15 Aug. 1/1: Why, you long, lean blankety blank blank . . . you ought to be strung up by the thumbs, you big, ugly ham. | ||
Artie (1963) 19: Some o’ them was dead tough and the others was hams. | ||
From First To Last (1954) 13: You hams standing around with wrinkles in your bellies. | ‘The Defence of Strikerville’ in||
Clear the Decks! 131: ‘You poor ham,’ he laughed. | ||
Arrowsmith 36: All these other hams of profs, they’re simply witch-doctors. | ||
Broadway Melody 4: He’s a hot song-plugger, Eddie is—tossing off that push-over tune on them hoofin’ hams. | ||
(con. 1920s) Studs Lonigan (1936) 255: The ham’s guard dropped, and he whittled down to Studs’ size. | Young Manhood in||
‘On Broadway’ 12 Mar. [synd. col.] A ham is a person who can’t get himself out of his mind. | ||
Mating Season 92: I gave it up. You can’t reason with hams. | ||
Naked Lunch (1968) 109: Get out of my studio, you cheap four-flushing ham! | ||
Essential Lenny Bruce 108: You’d never expect that from a ham like me. | ||
Family Arsenal 140: Oh, do sit down and stop being such a ham. | ||
Yes We have No 189: I’m just an old ham. |
2. (US) an incompetent boxer, a poor fighter.
Missouri Republican 27 Mar. n.p.: Connelly... is a good fighter, but will allow the veriest ham to whip him, if there is any money to be made by it [F&H]. | ||
Taking the Count 137: ‘Some fight tomorrow night,’ said Split-tooth tentatively. ‘Those bigs hams [...] No chance – I could lick ’em myself.’. | ‘On Account of a Lady’ in||
Sat. Eve. Post 14 Dec. 144/3: They want me to slug with this big ham [DA]. | ||
Fight Stories Feb. 🌐 If you was any part of a man, you big mick ham [...] you wouldn’t stand around and let a blankety-blank French so-on and so-forth lay out your captain. | ‘Bull Dog Breed’||
(con. 1910s) Studs Lonigan (1936) 115: He told of what he had seen at the [...] Willard-Moran fights. He said Willard was a ham. | Young Lonigan in
3. an over-theatrical or incompetent performer.
Cincinnati Enquirer 7 Sept. 10/7: Ham—Is the most derisive word in the professional vocabulary, and if you wish to lose the friendship of any one in the business call him a ‘ham,’ and that settles it. A person who can do nothing at all, can not speak his lines properly, or is very bad in any way in his calling, is denominated a ‘ham.’. | ||
Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 18 Mar. 2/3: The small-fry actors and variety ‘hams’. | ||
Tales of the Ex-Tanks 132: I can tell a ham two miles away in a valley without a pince-niz. | ||
Sporting Times 18 Mar. 1/5: Say, you gah-dam ham, you’ve had a month’s run here an’ never got a hand. | ||
El Paso Herald (TX) 8 Sept. 8: Ima Ham the Persian tragedian. | ‘Daffydills’ in||
Man’s Grim Justice 142: She was nothing more than a ham of the worst sort. | ||
‘On Broadway’ 18 Mar. [synd. col.] ‘He’s such a ham – he bathes in mustard.’. | ||
To Whom It May Concern 21: I don’t like actors. They are all hams. | ||
Long Good-Bye 151: Dear God, what a ham you are, darling. Stop acting like a damn fool, will you, darling? | ||
Queens’ Vernacular 63: smoked ham (black gay sl) black public figure, especially in entertainment. | ||
Life and Times of Little Richard 58: Richard’s like any other ham. | ||
Lucky You 162: She was also a ham. Dick Turnquist expected Mary Andrea would get the first plane for Florida, to play the irresistible role of grief-stricken widow. | ||
Season of Blessing 16: It’s just that he’s such a ham. He’s a terrible show-off. | ||
Bloody January 222: Wringing the moment dry like the old ham he was. | ||
(con. 1962) Enchanters 328: ‘He’s a stage ham, but he’s very insecure’. |
4. (US) an inexpert or over-theatrical performance.
High Window 183: ‘Look, angel,’ Morny snarled. ‘Don’t feed me the ham. I’ve been in pictures. I’m a connoisseur of ham.’. |
In compounds
(US) a second-rate actor.
Naked on Roller Skates 192: She picked up this ham slinger. |