gammon
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
gammon1
▶noun Brit. ham which has been cured like bacon.
■ the bottom piece of a side of bacon, including a hind leg.
– origin C15: from Old North. Fr. gambon, from gambe ‘leg’.
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
gammon2
▶noun a victory in backgammon (carrying a double score) in which the winner removes all their pieces before the loser has removed any. ▶verb defeat with a gammon.
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
gammon3 informal, dated
▶noun nonsense; rubbish. ▶verb hoax or deceive.
– origin C18: origin uncertain; first used as criminals' sl. in give gammon to ‘give cover to a pickpocket’ and keep in gammon ‘distract a victim for a pickpocket’.
'gammon' also found in these Oxford entries:
