Hind leg joints of a pig cured and often smoked for food; also slang for overacting performers or amateur radio operators.
From Old English 'ham' meaning the back of the thigh. The food meaning has been used since medieval times. The theatrical slang 'ham' for overactor emerged in the 1800s, possibly from 'hamfatter' (a mediocre actor).
In theater, 'hams' are actors who exaggerate everything for attention—the term might come from the fact that cheap theaters used ham oil to make stage lights shine brighter, so lower-quality theaters got associated with bad acting!
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