ham

   Used to an actor who rants and overacts, and more generally of someone who does anything badly, in a clumsy, amateurish way. ‘You cheap, lousy ham’ is addressed to an actor by a woman in Pleasure Man, by Mae West. Several theories have been advanced as to why a bad actor should be a ‘ham’. Ham fat was at one time used to remove theatrical make-up, and ham-fatter is still used in American slang of a person who fancies himself as an actor. There was also a troupe of actors touring the USA in the early nineteenth century led by Hamish McCullough. The group is said to have been known as ‘Ham’s actors’, though the normal pronunciation of Hamish would have led to ‘Hame’s actors’. Another popular link is with Hamlet, since in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet in his speech to the players describes ham acting, which he wants them to avoid.