Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Ham-handed.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective not skillful in physical movement especially with the hands; clumsy; bungling; -- also used metaphorically of actions.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Lacking skill in physical movement, especially with the hands
  • adjective by extension Lacking skill in general

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands

Etymologies

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Examples

  • The distressing, and to my mind accurate, message that monopolies are putting profit before human and animal health and well being, is potent and distrubing, and would have been much better served without the emotional overkill, the taint of exaggeration; the helping of ham-fisted propaganda. (and okay, enough with the hackneyed food metaphors).

    Food Inc. and the stench of ham-fisted exaggeration 2009

  • The distressing, and to my mind accurate, message that monopolies are putting profit before human and animal health and well being, is potent and distrubing, and would have been much better served without the emotional overkill, the taint of exaggeration; the helping of ham-fisted propaganda. (and okay, enough with the hackneyed food metaphors).

    2009 December 06 | NIGEL BEALE NOTA BENE BOOKS 2009

  • If you look at the history of health insurance, the problems start during the FDR/WWII era when there were ham-fisted attempts to control employees who might leave a vital war contractor for better money elsewhere.

    Coyote Blog » Blog Archive » I’ve Been Given a Reason to Vote Republican 2010

  • Food Inc. and the stench of ham-fisted exaggeration

    Food Inc. and the stench of ham-fisted exaggeration 2009

  • He courts ambiguity, populating his paintings with shape-shifting topiary, chunks of masonry, stylized umbrella pines, fountains, city walls, column fragments, sculptures and more, including the sinister "hoods" of the paintings exhibited in New York—all of it conjured up with ham-fisted, assertive drawing and with paint-handling that ranges from elegant to slapdash.

    An Anxious Modern Eyes the Eternal City Karen Wilkin 2011

  • I think cap-and-trade would be a ham-fisted, unhelpful, damaging thing to the economy. ...

    Tim Pawlenty: Cap-And-Trade Support Was 'A Mistake' (AUDIO) The Huffington Post News Editors 2011

  • Bolton and Cheney's ham-fisted approach to foreign policy did catastrophic damage to our reputation and our values, and whatever shrieks of support he has for Cheney should be taken for what they are: the rantings of a representative of an undisciplined, unfocused and amoral clique.

    Cheney named Conservative of the Year 2009

  • With its broadly drawn character types and occasionally ham-fisted dialogue, it brings to mind the gee-wiz adventure pictures like The Phantom and The Shadow.

    Scott Mendelson: Huff Post Review: Green Lantern Not As Good As Hoped, Not As Bad As Feared Scott Mendelson 2011

  • This bittersweet drama about three best buds and their midlife crises resumes its better-by-the-week second season following the premiere of the ham-fisted legal dramedy Franklin & Bash.

    Matt's Picks: May 30-June 2 2011

  • Serco continued its slump following the outsourcing group's ham-fisted attempt to demand cash rebates from its suppliers to make up for the squeeze on its margins, a move it later retracted.

    Tullow Oil leads the way as FTSE moves higher ahead of Federal Reserve's QE decision Nick Fletcher 2010

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