Ham fisted/ham handed

Sometimes spelt as one word, or when used as an adjective is often hyphenated, ham fisted or ham handed means clumsy and awkward. It is thought to be derived from either 'ham' meaning second-rate, as in a 'ham actor', or from having legs of ham as hands or fists. Ham handed is slightly older than ham fisted and is first attested from the mid-!9th century, with ham fisted appearing c. 1886.