What the Sam-Ham...?

[Dizzieblonde]

My friend has recently started using the phrase 'sam-ham', as in "What the sam-ham has happened..?", "Who the sam-ham is...?" etc. He claims it's a more polite version of an Americanism 'Sam-Heck'. Is this an actual phrase anyone has heard of, or is he just making up his own language?

[dr john]

The usual expression is Sam Hill (as in "What in the Sam Hill...?"). Probably just a euphemism for Hell, although there are two candidates for the original Sam Hill, one from Connecticut and one from Minneapolis.