ham it up

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

ham it up (third-person singular simple present hams it up, present participle hamming it up, simple past and past participle hammed it up)

1. (idiomatic, acting) To deliberately exaggerate one's emotions or movements, or to overact or act hammily.

   You can count on him to ham it up for the camera.

• chew the scenery, ham, melodramatize, overact, tear a cat