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Glite Dictionary
hamfat

hamfat

9.9
A person who is not skilled at acting on stage
  • noun
  • Offensive
translation icon : mal actor (despectivo, arcaico, EE. UU.)
  • Back in the day, a hamfat was often laughed at by the audience.

Examples

  • He was called a hamfat after forgetting his lines on stage.

  • That actor is such a hamfat!

  • The director refused to cast a hamfat in the leading role of the play.

  • The audience laughed at the hamfat performance.

  • Despite her enthusiasm, everyone agreed she was just a hamfat in the school play.

  • The critics described the actor as a hamfat, lacking the skill to captivate the audience.

  • Although he had a passion for acting, he often played the role of a hamfat in local productions.

Synonyms

ham
vshamfat
  • Offensive
17 8.3

A performer who acts in an exaggerated way to get attention

is an older slang term for an amateur poor performer in theatre
ham actor
vshamfat
  • Offensive
1 6.8

A person who overacts in a loud, exaggerated way

is older slang stressing amateur or poor stage performance

How Skilled

professional
401 3.7
competent
114 3.6
amateur
122 2.8
hamfat
  • Offensive
9.9
bungler
1 7.8

Surface Forms

hamfat singular
hamfats plural

Morphology

hamfat = ham + fat (semi-transparent) = ham + fat

The compound is clearly formed from 'ham' (an overactor) + 'fat' (pejorative intensifier), but the exact nuance is slangy and not fully predictable for learners.

Etymology

Hamfat comes from the old slang ham meaning 'an amateur or bad actor', the same ham in the phrase 'ham it up', with fat added as an extra insult. So, a hamfat is an especially poor or overacting performer.