go ham

== English == === Alternative forms === go HAM, go H.A.M. === Etymology === Uncertain; the earliest use of the term in the idiomatic sense appears to be in the 2007 song "Go Ham on 'Em" by Soulja Boy (see quotation below), although isolated usage goes back earlier. "Ham" is often thought to be an acronym of "hard as a motherfucker" (with go ham then parsing as go hard as a motherfucker), although this may be a backronym. Alternatively, it could be a phonetic clipping of mayhem. The term was popularized by the 2011 song "H.A.M." by Jay-Z and Kanye West. The fact that go the whole hog and go ham have senses that are synonymous at least raises the question of whether the pig-portions connection is wholly coincidental or not. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ɡoʊ ˈhæm/ Rhymes: -æm === Verb === go ham (third-person singular simple present goes ham, present participle going ham, simple past went ham, past participle gone ham) (intransitive, slang, originally African-American Vernacular, often with on) To enter an enraged and uncontrollable state; to go berserk. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:go crazy, Thesaurus:lose one's temper 2011 August, Jay-Z and Kanye West, “H•A•M”, Watch the Throne, deluxe edition, Roc-A-Fella Records: I'm about to go HAM / Hard as a muthafucker, let these niggas know who I am (intransitive, slang, originally African-American Vernacular, often with on) To do something with the maximum possible effort; to go all out. Synonyms: go the whole hog, full send, put one's whole pussy into Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see go,‎ ham. === References === === Further reading === “ham”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. “go ham v.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present === Anagrams === Ogham, Omagh, ogham