Ham

1. salted or smoked meat from the upper part of a pig's leg.

   thin slices of ham

   a honey-baked ham

2. the back of the thigh or the thighs and buttocks.

   he squatted down on his hams

Old English ham, hom (originally denoting the back of the knee), from a Germanic base meaning ‘be crooked’. In the late 15th century the term came to denote the back of the thigh, hence the thigh or hock of an animal.

1. an excessively theatrical actor.

   ham actors

2. an amateur radio operator.

1. overact.

   she hammed it up for the cameras

late 19th century (originally US): perhaps from the first syllable of amateur; compare with the US slang term hamfatter ‘inexpert performer’. ham² (sense 2 of the noun) dates from the early 20th century.