gammon
gam·mon1 / ˈgamən/ • n. ham that has been cured or smoked like bacon. ∎ the bottom piece of a side of bacon, including a hind leg.gam·mon2 • n. a victory in backgammon (carrying a double score) in which the winner removes all their pieces before the loser has removed any.• v. [tr.] defeat (a backgammon opponent) in such a way.gam·mon3 inf., dated, chiefly Brit. • n. nonsense; rubbish.• v. [tr.] hoax or deceive (someone).
gammon
gammon nonsense, rubbish. First recorded in the early 18th century; the origin is uncertain, but the term was first used in criminals' slang in give gammon ‘give cover to (a pickpocket)’ and keep in gammon ‘distract (a victim) for a pickpocket’.
gammon and spinach ‘nonsense, humbug’; with a pun on gammon ‘bacon, ham’. The words gammon and spinach are part of the refrain to the song ‘A frog he would a-wooing go’, and the term is used by Dickens: Miss Mowcher in David Copperfield (1850) says, ‘What a world of gammon and spinnage it is, though, ain't it!’.
gammon and spinach ‘nonsense, humbug’; with a pun on gammon ‘bacon, ham’. The words gammon and spinach are part of the refrain to the song ‘A frog he would a-wooing go’, and the term is used by Dickens: Miss Mowcher in David Copperfield (1850) says, ‘What a world of gammon and spinnage it is, though, ain't it!’.
gammon
gammon
gammon2 lashing of the bowsprit. XVII. perh. identical with prec., the allusion being to the tying up of a gammon or ham.
More From encyclopedia.com
About this article
gammon
All Sources -
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
gammon