hambone
Dog's meaty treat
Hambone has two main senses.
The first is literal: the bone from a ham, often used to flavor soups and beans: She threw a hambone in the pot of collard greens.
The second describes exaggerated, over-the-top performance—mugging for the camera, broad gestures, theatrical overacting: He's such a hambone, always playing to the crowd.
As a verb, to hambone is to perform in this showy way, or to slap the body rhythmically to create percussion, a technique from African American folk tradition.
Striking with open palm
- pattingLight repeated touching
- thighsUpper leg sections
- chestRibcage region or strongbox
- clappingRhythmic palm strikes
stomping · beats · polyrhythms · syncopation · backbeat · groove · cadence · tempo
Light repeated touching
- slappingStriking with open palm
- buck-and-wingVigorous solo tap
- step-danceFootwork-based rhythmic movement
- cloggingObstructing a passage
soft-shoe · hoofing · tap-dance · jive · swing · lindy-hop · jitterbug · breakdown
Pig as food
broth · beans · collards · seasoning · flavoring · potlikker · slow-cooked · simmered
Traveling performer of songs
- vaudevilleTheatrical variety entertainment
- entertainerOne who amuses others
- showmanDramatic, attention-grabbing performer
- comedianProfessional humor performer
jester · trouper · busker · emcee · slapstick · clowning · theatrical · raconteur
U.S. ethnic identity category
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- spiritualsEnslaved people's sacred songs
- plantationLarge-scale farming operation
Robbery with violence
- scenery-chewingTheatrical overperformance
- melodramaSensational, emotionally overwrought drama
- exaggerationOverstating beyond reality
- showboatingOstentatious self-display
grandstanding · theatrics · posturing · emoting · camping · milking · over-the-top · histrionics
slapping
Striking with open palm
clapping · stomping · beats · polyrhythms · syncopation · backbeat · groove · cadence · tempo · pattern
patting
Light repeated touching
- slappingStriking with open palm
- buck-and-wingVigorous solo tap
- step-danceFootwork-based rhythmic movement
clogging · soft-shoe · hoofing · tap-dance · jive · swing · lindy-hop · jitterbug · breakdown · shuffle
pork
Pig as food
soup · broth · beans · collards · seasoning · flavoring · potlikker · slow-cooked · simmered · marrow
minstrel
Traveling performer of songs
- vaudevilleTheatrical variety entertainment
- entertainerOne who amuses others
- showmanDramatic, attention-grabbing performer
comedian · jester · trouper · busker · emcee · slapstick · clowning · theatrical · raconteur · monologist
African-American
U.S. ethnic identity category
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- spiritualsEnslaved people's sacred songs
plantation · Appalachian · traditions · roots
mugging
Robbery with violence
- scenery-chewingTheatrical overperformance
- melodramaSensational, emotionally overwrought drama
- exaggerationOverstating beyond reality
showboating · grandstanding · theatrics · posturing · emoting · camping · milking · over-the-top · histrionics · corny
- American dancesCharleston, twist, jitterbug, cakewalk, lindy hop
- body percussionclapping, stomping, snapping, hand clap, finger snap
- folk dancessquare dances, jig, square dance, polka, line dance
- Step Dancestepdance, tap dance, Irish step, jig, reel
- clapping styleshand clapping, patty-cake, slow clap, clapping game
hambonetenderloin
Premium, exceptionally soft cut
filet mignon · pork tenderloin · prime rib · ribeye · loin chop
hambonesubtle
Not immediately obvious
understated · restrained · naturalistic · nuanced · method acting