hames

British

/ heɪmz /

noun

informal to spoil through clumsiness or ineptitude

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hames

of unknown origin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Sometimes, mounted on the sawhorse in the harness-room, with collars and hames and tugs hung all about him, Jody rode out beyond the room.

From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck

Bell-teams were common; an iron or brass arch was fastened upon the hames, and collar and bells were suspended from it.

From Stage-coach and Tavern Days by Earle, Alice Morse

Also, with the collar in position, he was but a moment in adjusting the hames, making fast the bottom strap, and hooking the tugs securely.

From Bred of the Desert A Horse and a Romance by Horton, Marcus

People along the street set up a shout when they beheld Neale O'Neil leap right down on the pole of the wagon and stretch out perilously to seize the reins at the hames.

From The Corner House Girls at School by Owen, R. Emmett (Robert Emmett)

Ahead the many silvery bells, hung on steel bows over the hames of each of Jo's white beauties, jingled merrily as the wagon rolled on into the illimitable desert.

From The She Boss A Western Story by Hankins, Arthur Preston

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023