'ham-fisted' originates from English, formed as a compound from 'ham' (seen in earlier 'ham-handed') and 'fist', where 'ham' suggested heaviness or lack of finesse and 'fist' referred to the hand.

'ham-fisted' developed from the earlier expression 'ham-handed' (recorded in the 19th century) which combined 'ham' + 'hand'; speakers later produced compounds like 'ham-fisted' by analogy with 'fist'.

Initially the components suggested 'having large or heavy hands'; over time the term came to mean broadly 'clumsy' or 'heavy-handed' in action or manner rather than literally describing the hand.