Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Subscribe

Archives



Nov 20, 2020
This week’s theme
Words derived from body

This week’s words
gambit
propugnaculum
flatfooted
consanguineous
ham-handed

This week’s comments
AWADmail 960

Next week’s theme
Supervocalic words
Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

ham-handed

PRONUNCIATION:
(HAM-han-did)

MEANING:
adjective: Clumsy; tactless; lacking social grace.

ETYMOLOGY:
From ham + hand. It’s the same ham (one who overacts), apparently from the minstrel song, “The Hamfat Man”. Earliest documented use: 1918.

USAGE:
“There was a certain thrill, a challenge in taking an ordinary man who was ham-handed with compliments and possessed of two left feet, and turn him into something sublime.”
Bronwyn Scott; A Lady Seduces; Harlequin; 2013.

See more usage examples of ham-handed in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
I believe at our best America is a beacon for the globe. And we lead not by the example of our power, but by the power of our example. -Joe Biden, president-elect of the United States (b. 20 Nov 1942)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith