Re: Derivation of "Ham Actor"
Posted by ESC on January 07, 2000
In Reply to: Derivation of "Ham Actor"
posted by Mary on January 06, 2000
: I know I read/heard once that Hams were originally called Ham
Fatters in Shakespeare's day, and that the phrase referred more
to their being less than the best, not supported by the crown, as
the King's Players were, and having to use ham fat to mix or remove
their makeup. Further descriptions welcomed. I looked in three reference books and got three slightly different
"takes" on the origin of "ham actor." So I'm going to list all three
and let the Phrase Finder folks sort it all out: From "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson
(Facts on File, 1997) with asides from Mr. Hendrickson in parenthesis:
"HAM. Actors prefer to think that the word derives from the old
theatrical use of ham fat to remove blackface makeup - actors were
thus called hamfatters, or hams. Many scholars lean to this theory,
but 'ham' in the sense of an amateur actor or a 10th rate actor
who outrageously overplays his scenes has enough folk etymologies
to make a one-act play. Since none really seems capable of absolute
proof, I'll simply list three: 1) Ham derives from the Cockney slang
'hamateur,' for 'amateur actor.' (Unlikely, as the term 'ham' in
this sense is American from about 1880.) 2) The word structure of
'amateur' itself suggested 'ham.' (A good possibility, but why did
it wait so long to suggest itself?) 3) It comes from the role of
'Hamlet,' which actors frequently misperformed. (Another good possibility,
but, if so, 'ham' should have been with us since Shakespeare's time.)
'Ham' for one of the rear quarters of a hog, or its meat, derives
from Old English 'hamm' for the bend of the knee." From the "Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" by William
and Mary Morris (HarperCollins, 1977, 1988): "HAM ACTOR. 'Ham in
this phrase has two distinct meanings. First, probably by analogy
to 'amateur,' there is the use of 'ham' to mean an actor who is
incompetent or unskilled. That's the meaning intended in such phrases
as 'Hollywood hams.' Then there is 'ham' in the sense of one who
overacts or outrageously overplays a scene - especially when his
intention is to center all attention on himself to the exclusion
of other players. Such devices as upstaging other actors, grimacing
at the audience and pointedly fiddling with one's pocket handkerchief
during another player's speech are common practices of actors bent
on 'hamming it up.' In the days of blackface minstrel shows before
the turn of the century, one popular song was 'The Hamfat Man' and
it clearly referred to second-rate actors of the type that appeared
in such shows. But nobody knows for sure whether the song inspired
the name 'hamfatter' for these actors or whether the name preceded
the song. We think that the name came before the song, probably
from the minstrel's practice of using ham fat to remove the heavy
black makeup used during performances. In any event, ham actor is
an American expression which made its first appearance in print
during the 1880s." From "The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology: The Origin of American
English Words" by Robert W. Barnhart (HarperCollins 1995) "HAM.
n. performer. 1882. American English, apparently a shortened form
of 'hamfatter' (1880), an actor of low grade, said to be from an
old minstrel song 'The Ham-fat Man.' The idea amateurish was extended
to a amateur telegraphist (1919) and an amateur radio operator (1922)." Of course, there are other theories on the origin of the word "ham"
for radio operators. But I'm stopping for now.
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