hamfatter

noun

ham·fat·ter ˈham-ˌfa-tər

plural hamfatters

dated slang

: a showy and unskillful performer : ham

"I'm afraid I will be unable to take the part, Bill," Boland replied seriously. "You see, they pay me about five hundred dollars a night for acting, and I couldn't work for less. You didn't know that, of course, so I think you'd better engage a hamfatter after all."—

Peter B. Kyne

Word History

Etymology

ham fat + -er entry 2; allegedly after "The Ham Fat Man," a minstrel show song (1863)

Note: The connection between the song and unskilled performers is not apparent. Though minstrel shows were in decline at the time hamfatter first appeared in print, the claim that the song was emblematic of such shows, which were equated with low standards of performance, is questionable. The notion that poor, hence impoverished performers used ham fat to either put on or remove makeup is dubious at best.

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of hamfatter was in 1874

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