Meaning

noun something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be

noun a person who makes deceitful pretenses

verb make a pretence of

originProbably a dialectal form of shame. Alternatively, sham is a term that is used to describe the bottom thick base of a glass, usually a wine or stem glass, where the stem meets the bulbous shape bowl. Glass manufacturers would increase the "sham" to deceive customers into thinking a glass holds more than it actually does. For example, a manufacturer would mold a 12oz glass with a larger "sham" in…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0