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Ham vs Sham - What's the difference?

ham | sham |

As nouns the difference between ham and sham

is that ham is the region back of the knee joint; the popliteal space; the hock while sham is a fake; an imitation that purports to be genuine.

As verbs the difference between ham and sham

is that ham is to overact; to act with exaggerated emotions while sham is to deceive, cheat, lie.

As a proper noun Ham

is a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem.

As an initialism HAM

is his Apostolic Majesty, the title given to a number of historical kings of Hungary.

As an adjective sham is

intended to deceive; false.

ham

English

(wikipedia ham)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) hamme, from (etyl) . Compare gammon.

Noun

(en noun)
  • (anatomy) The region back of the knee joint; the popliteal space; the hock.
  • (countable) A thigh and buttock of an animal slaughtered for meat.
  • (uncountable) Meat from the thigh of a hog cured for food.
  • a little piece of ham for the cat
  • * (rfdate), Audra Lilly Griffeth, A King's Daughter (ISBN 146915532X):
  • She put some ham in the beans and cut up some sweet potatoes to boil.
  • The back of the thigh.
  • (internet, informal) Electronic mail that is wanted; mail that is not spam or junk mail.
  • Derived terms
    * ham-fisted * hambone * hammy, hamstring

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) .

    Noun

    (-)
  • Usage notes

    * Persists in many old place names, such as (Buckingham).

    References

    *

    Etymology 3

    Shortened from , said to derive from the 1863 minstrel show song The Ham-fat Man . "ham", Online Etymology Dictionary

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An overacting or amateurish performer; an actor with an especially showy or exaggerated style.
  • An amateur radio operator.
  • Synonyms
    * radio amateur (amateur radio operator)

    Verb

  • To overact; to act with exaggerated emotions.
  • Anagrams

    *

    sham

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Intended to deceive; false.
  • It was only a sham wedding: they didn't care much for one another but wanted their parents to stop hassling them.
  • counterfeit; unreal
  • * Jowett
  • They scorned the sham independence proffered to them by the Athenians.

    Synonyms

    * mock * See also

    Antonyms

    * genuine * sincere * real

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A fake; an imitation that purports to be genuine.
  • The time-share deal was a sham .
  • Trickery, hoaxing.
  • A con-man must be skilled in the arts of sham and deceit.
  • A false front, or removable ornamental covering.
  • A decorative cover for a pillow.
  • Derived terms

    * shamateur

    See also

    * pillow sham

    Verb

    (shamm)
  • To deceive, cheat, lie.
  • * L'Estrange
  • Fooled and shammed into a conviction.
  • To obtrude by fraud or imposition.
  • * L'Estrange
  • We must have a care that we do not sham fallacies upon the world for current reason.
  • To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign.
  • Anagrams

    * * * * ----