ham-fisted

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ham-fisted

/ˈhæmˌfɪstɪd/ US, UK

Where it comes from

From ham (“thigh and buttock of an animal slaughtered for meat”) + fisted (adjective), probably referring to someone being clumsy as if they have hams at the end of their arms instead of hands.

adjective more ham-fisted · most ham-fisted · hamfisted

informal Lacking skill in physical movement with the hands; clumsy. "God damn and blast all you hamfisted yokels!" he was saying. "And you, sir, down there. Take that grin off your face and be more careful, or I'll have you clapped under hatches to sail with us today. Easy, there, easy! Christ, rum at seven guineas an anker isn't meant to be dropped like pig iron!"
Similar: cack-handed, ham-handed, heavy-handed, mutton-fisted, undexterous · Opposite: dexterous, skilful
broadly, informal Lacking skill in general; incompetent. [Stephen] Harper has a few weeks' grace, during which he and his ham-fisted finance minister, Jim Flaherty, can ponder the error of their ways.
Similar: bungling, amateurish, backwards, bad, clumsy, ham-fisted, ham-handed, inapt, incapable, incompetent, ineffective, inept · Opposite: able, artful, habile, accomplished, adept, adroit, apt, capable, competent, consummate, conversant, crack

Translations

Every language

adj lacking skill in physical movement with the hands — see also clumsy

中文	笨手笨腳的 /笨手笨脚的 bènshǒubènjiǎo de
Português	desengonçado
Français	maladroit
Deutsch	plump, unbeholfen
Русский	нело́вкий nelóvkij, неуклю́жий neukljúžij

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MLA

"ham-fisted." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ham-fisted. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

ham-fisted. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ham-fisted

Chicago

"ham-fisted." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ham-fisted.

BibTeX

@misc{ham_fisted_2026,
  title = {ham-fisted},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ham-fisted},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}