Akademik

pp.

In team sports, producing a good overall result by having different team members perform well at different times.

"Michael Jordan has used several analogies to describe what he and Scottie Pippen can do to an opponent when both are at the top of their game.

His favorite is 'ham-and-egging,' when one or the other comes out strong and one or the other finishes strong."

— Terry Armour, "Knick Motto: We Do Not Like Bulls' Eggs and Ham," Chicago Tribune, April 11, 1997

This phrase is also finding its way into non-sports contexts:

"Dad's memory is fading and Mom has arthritis something fierce in her neck and knees, so I worry. So far, my worrying has been wasted. Mom and Dad are doing a dandy job of 'ham and egging it' as we say in golf. She can't drive, but she's a superb navigator who can spot trouble blocks ahead."

— Ron Wiggins, "Mom and Dad Find Strength in Each Other," The Palm Beach Post, May 5, 1998

The following cite uses a variant of the phrase, but the connection is obscure:

"There began the complex process of "ham'n and egg'n" — the simultaneous search for a business to buy and the money with which to buy it."

— Trevor Cole, "Larry's Party," Report on Business Magazine, October, 1999