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ham-and-egger

ham-and-egger

9.9
A person with little skill or ambition
  • noun
  • /ˈhæm ənd ˈɛɡər/
  • Offensive
translation icon : don nadie
  • Hey, hey, hey, don't get fresh with me, ya little ham-and-egger.

Examples

  • If behind ham-and-egger we find Hemingway and Agnes, and behind Nick Black, Nick Nerone, what things are behind the double cross?

    Academic text (2017)
  • In the final text, the ham and eggs link five of the six main characters - ordered by Max, eaten by Al, served by George, cooked by Sam, and pointing via the "ham-and-egger" pun to Ole Andreson - so that only Nick is left out.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Finally, the genetic history of "The Killers" confirms that Nick Adams's identification as a ham-and-egger who doesn't "get it" was essential to Hemingway's conception of the story from the start.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The third rebus in "The Killers" became still more obscured in the published version, but its clarification by way of the text's genetic history confirms how the ham-and-egger and the double cross are both encryptions of the war.

    Academic text (2017)
  • In terms of the text's hermeneutics, the point of Hemingway's wordplay is precisely its ability to pass unnoticed, which is why the biggest ham-and-egger of them all is the reader's proxy, Nick Adams.

    Academic text (2017)
  • He always thought of himself as just another ham-and-egger who would never make it big.

  • Many people saw him as a ham-and-egger because he never took risks in his career.

  • Despite his potential, he became a ham-and-egger content with mediocrity.

Synonyms

jamoke
vsham-and-egger
  • Offensive
2 9.9

A man who is ordinary and not very smart

describes someone ordinary and mediocre without implying foolishness

Antonyms

18 5.0

A person who works very hard and gets better results than expected at school or work

How Ambitious

go-getter
16 5.0
ham-and-egger
  • Offensive
9.9
slacker
  • Offensive
33 4.6

Surface Forms

ham-and-egger singular

Morphology

ham-and-egger = ham + egg (opaque) = ham + egg

The phrase 'ham-and-egger' is idiomatic and does not transparently convey the meaning of 'ordinary or mediocre person' from its components.

Etymology

The word ham-and-egger comes from the simple meal ham and egg, a 'cheap' and 'ordinary' dish, and was used for people who did low-paid or everyday work. A helpful way to remember it is to think of someone who is 'ordinary' or 'unambitious', doing just enough to get by.