hambone
hambone Lexical Profile
hambone Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American The bone of a ham, often retaining a small amount of meat and used to flavor soups, stews, or pots of beans.
"She simmered the split peas with a smoked hambone for three hours to create a rich, savory broth."
American An African American rhythmic body-percussion dance and musical style performed by slapping and patting the thighs, chest, and arms.
"The folk musician demonstrated traditional hambone rhythms to the elementary school students."
North American An actor, comedian, or performer who overacts or relies on exaggerated gestures for attention.
"My uncle is a total hambone whenever someone brings out a video camera at family gatherings."
• verb
American To perform the rhythmic body-percussion art of slapping and patting the thighs, chest, and arms.
"He began to hambone on the porch steps, keeping a steady beat while his brother played the harmonica."
North American To overact, mug, or behave in an exaggeratedly theatrical manner for attention.
"The young actor tended to hambone during rehearsal until the director asked for a more subtle delivery."
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed as a compound of 'ham' and 'bone'. The African American musical and dance sense originated in the 19th-century American South, derived from a traditional rhythmic chant about boiling a ham bone to flavor a pot of soup.