ham it up

[ham it up] {v. phr.}, {slang} To do more than look natural in acting a part; pretend too much; exaggerate.

* /When Tom told the teacher he was too sick to do homework, he really hammed it up./

* /The old-fashioned movies are funny to us because the players hammed it up./

Compare: LAY IT ON.

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Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms


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