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Carpal Tunnel
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Hamfisted was used on another board recently (without the hyphen, BTW) and I had to look it up...there's only one hit on OneLook. It's a UKism, but there's also a USism mentioned as a synonym that I'm not really familiar with, though I think I've heard it once or twice along the way:
>from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
ham-fisted MAINLY UK adjective (US ham-handed)
doing things in an awkward or unskilled way when using the hands or dealing with people:
The report criticizes the ham-fisted way in which complaints were dealt with. <
Anybody use, or familiar with, either of the forms? Does the OED offer anything more?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Say rather, "Commonwealthism", since It is also widley used here, a long way from BriTonyA. It's fisted here, too, not handed.
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Carpal Tunnel
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And where, pray tell, is "here"?
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Carpal Tunnel
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>And where, pray tell, is "here"?
Zild, of course. I'm not new here, as my new hybrid handle is designed to show.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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I use "hamfisted" or "heavy handed." I've never heard "ham handed."
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Carpal Tunnel
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ham-fisted here in the heartland
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When I was a kind I used to hear the phrase "don't be such a ham bone" (hambone?) or "you ham bone!" a lot, in the same context. In fact, the expression was so popular that comedian Soupy Sales actually named a character "Hambone" on his show. Don't hear it much anymore, though.
FWIW, Merriam-Websters has both ham-fisted and ham-handed, a hyphen in the latter as well.
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Pooh-Bah
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"Ham-fisted" is certainly more common in Britain, but I have also heard "ham-handed" as well (although not for a large number of years, I have to say.)
In Midland England, where I lived for twenty years, the usual expression for clumsiness was, "caggy-handed." (Older folk said, "cack-handed" but that was looked on as rude by the surprisingly prudish younger generation!) In the north of England, I have heard, "that's a left-handed way of doing it!" According to the context of its use, this phrase can mena either clumsy, or "not the easiest way to go about the job."
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Carpal Tunnel
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I've heard and used both -fisted and -hand, albeit infrequently. isn't, or maybe wasn't Ham a common proper name at one point in history? or a place name? as in "Farmer Giles of Ham"?
formerly known as etaoin...
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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"Ham", in a topographical context, is Saxon for "living place" (or some such) - not just "home", but place where an extended famiily or group live. So a lot of English place-names end in -ham; Twickenham, Beckenham, Trentham, etc etc, ad infinitum.
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old hand
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old hand
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And is hamlet (not the play) also related?
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Carpal Tunnel
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and also ham omelette?
Oh, sorry, that was a bit ham-fisted...
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Carpal Tunnel
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>and also ham omelette?
What if you lived in the French hamlet of vertouefs?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Is it just me, or is this thread beginning to look a lot like a WA thread? 
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Carpal Tunnel
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formerly known as etaoin...
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Carpal Tunnel
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WA thread?
No. The thread is maintaining its Hamitic nature.
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Carpal Tunnel
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I have used the terms forever. With a fine distinction.
"ham fisted" = something done in in anger.
"ham-handed" = something done awkwardly.
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Carpal Tunnel
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"ham fisted" = something done in in anger.
"ham-handed" = something done awkwardly. [e.a.]
Fascinating - I would never have guessed that it was used as anything other than my assumed understanding, namely clumsy - so I would completely misinterpret your intention in this case!
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Carpal Tunnel
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Well, once once again, I'm throwing my lot yin with my brythonic yang. Hamfisted for "done in anger" would have completely flummoxed me, too.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Oh, well. Maybe in context? As an observer? Any way at all?
Shucks!
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Pooh-Bah
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Nope. You could have confused it with mob-handed, of course.
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Carpal Tunnel
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>"ham fisted" = something done in in anger.
ham-fishted ~= heavy-handed?
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Carpal Tunnel
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ham-fishtedIs that as in gobshmacked?
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Carpal Tunnel
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as in gobshmacked?
Or either cornobbled, one.
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old hand
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old hand
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Or either cornobbled, one.
Faldage - since I've never met you IRL - do you actually talk like that? I'll be terribly disappointed if I ever do meet you, and you don't!
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Carpal Tunnel
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He does, and sometimes not, one
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old hand
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old hand
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ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
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member
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for some reason I associate "ham-fistesd" with Harry Potter's cousin, Dudley. I am almost sure I've seen the word in JK Rowling books
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Carpal Tunnel
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I don't know if this'll help or just further confuse you, Bean, but I'd say he talks like an erudite Yankee redneck.
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old hand
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old hand
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help or just further confuse...erudite Yankee redneckI think I'll go with (b), "further confuse"! 
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