exagerado, teatral, melodramático
1. Excessively theatrical, exaggerated, or over-the-top in acting or behavior; lacking subtlety
His hammy performance in the school play was unintentionally funny.
Sua atuação exagerada na peça escolar foi involuntariamente engraçada.
2. Characterized by overacting or artificial dramatic expression
The actor gave a hammy rendition of the Shakespearean monologue.
O ator fez uma interpretação melodramática do monólogo shakespeariano.
3. Showing obvious or clumsy overemphasis; not genuine or natural
The commercial's hammy dialogue made it seem ridiculous.
O diálogo exagerado do comercial o tornou ridículo.
The term 'hammy' originated in American theater, possibly from the practice of ham actors (low-quality performers) or from the slang 'ham' meaning an inferior actor. It's commonly used in entertainment industries in both the US and Brazil to critique exaggerated performances. In Brazilian culture, similar terms like 'cafona' may carry additional connotations about taste and social class that 'hammy' doesn't necessarily imply in English.
NYC Slang
over-the-top, cheesy, corny
Related Idioms & Phrases
hamming it up - to exaggerate one's acting or behavior for effect
ham fisted - clumsy or crude in approach
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