flimflam

American  

[flim-flam] / ˈflɪmˌflæm /

noun

1. a trick or deception, especially a swindle or confidence game involving skillful persuasion or clever manipulation of the victim.

2. a piece of nonsense; twaddle; bosh.

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verb (used with object)

flimflammed, flimflamming

1. to trick, deceive, swindle, or cheat.

   A fortuneteller flimflammed her out of her savings.

flimflam British  

/ ˈflɪmˌflæm /

noun

1. 1. nonsense; foolishness

   2. ( as modifier )

      flimflam arguments

2. a deception; swindle

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verb

1. (tr) to deceive; trick; swindle; cheat

Other Word Forms

• flimflammer noun
• flimflammery noun

Etymology

Origin of flimflam

First recorded in 1530–40; gradational compound of expressive origin

Example Sentences

He's almost certainly lying about that, of course, but this rhetorical flimflam is still quite revealing.

From Salon

When the then-president tried to flimflam him with misleading statistics at one point, Swan replied with precision, detail and follow-up.

From Los Angeles Times

“They were dying off,” Whitehead writes, “the old crooks and hustlers and flimflam artists, or upstate after an ill-advised scheme to cover medical bills or six months’ back pay or new teeth.”

From Los Angeles Times

That experience has made him allergic to both audience participation and flimflam, so they had decided on a format that was closer to an interview.

From New York Times

Another strand connects to the country's long history of snake oil salesmen, flimflam artists and con men.

From Salon