Are you looking for a way to hype up your friend to do something daring? Maybe you are looking for a way to express that you want to go all out? Perhaps you want a trendier phrase that expresses just how exited you are to do something?
If so, the term “go ham” might be for you. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.
Meaning
The term “go ham” refers to putting absolutely all of your effort into doing something. This is often an extraordinary amount of effort, which sometimes comes off as aggressive. When someone “goes ham” on something, they push every obstacle aside and do everything they can to accomplish that certain task.
To “go ham” on someone may also mean to lose your temper and take it out on that person. The phrase is often used to express when someone goes crazy performing whatever action they have set out to do. Going crazy, going wild, and going all out are all the same as going ham. More information can be found in the video (here).
Example Usage
“I’m about to go ham on this steak tonight. It’ll be gone in less than a minute.”
“I’m going to go ham on the paint job on this car.”
“I’m going to go ham during this paintball game later.”
“Did you see how fast Tom power washed the driveway? He went ham on that.”
“Mom is about to go ham on Thanksgiving dinner. She bought $200 worth of groceries for it.”
Origin
There is some argument on the Internet over the true origin of this phrase. Most people believe it is a result of rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z’s song H-A-M, that was released January 11 of 2011. Other rap artists had used the phrase in their songs before, though, including Gucci who released a song titled Go Ham on Em in 2008.
Google Trends shows that interest in the term skyrocketed around 2011, but that the phrase had still seen some interest as early as 2004. Another source believes the phrase originated from an ad released in June of 1977 in the magazine “Popular Mechanics”, in which the sentence :one of the reasons to go ham is the quiet hi-fi sound of radios used in the two-meter ham band”. There is some debate over this theory, though, since this ad was marketing “ham radios” and not specifically using the phrase “go ham” in the way that it is now typically used. Regardless, the phrase did greatly increase in popularity as a result of Kanye West and Jay-Z’s song, but has not been used as much in recent years as it was around 2011.
Phrases Similar to Go Ham
- Ham-fisted
- Hamming it up
- Go hard
- Give it all you’ve got
- Work like a dog
- Bend over backwards
- Go stupid
- Go crazy
- Lose your temper
Phrases Opposite to Go Ham
- Calm
- No effort
- Chill
What is the Correct Saying?
- “Go ham” is, itself, the correct saying.
Ways People May Incorrectly Say Go Ham
The phrase “go ham” refers to someone putting an insurmountable amount of effort into something, or someone losing their temper on someone else. Using the phrase to refer to something that does not take much effort or someone that is not losing their cool would be incorrect. Some ways that “go ham” is used incorrectly are:
- I’m going to go ham watching a movie later.
- I’m about to go ham brushing my teeth.
- Cindy is always so cool, calm, and collected. She goes ham all the time.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Go Ham
- I’m going to go ham making an amazing dinner later.
- John really went ham at his baseball game last night. He got three homeruns!
- Did you see Riley go ham on Karen last night? Apparently Karen’s been cheating with her boyfriend.
- I’m about to go ham cleaning every room in my house today.