Dictionary.com

flimflam

[ flim-flam ]
/ ˈflɪmˌflæm /
Informal.
See synonyms for: flimflam / flimflammer on Thesaurus.com

noun

a trick or deception, especially a swindle or confidence game involving skillful persuasion or clever manipulation of the victim.
a piece of nonsense; twaddle; bosh.

verb (used with object), flim·flammed, flim·flam·ming.

to trick, deceive, swindle, or cheat: A fortuneteller flimflammed her out of her savings.

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Origin of flimflam

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

OTHER WORDS FROM flimflam

flimflammer, nounflim·flam·mer·y, noun

Words nearby flimflam

flight surgeon, flight-test, flightworthy, flighty, flim, flimflam, flimsy, flinch, flinders, Flinders bar, Flinders grass
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to flimflam

fool, shaft, fleece, hose, scam, dupe, cheat, rook, burn, gull, trick, gyp, chisel, steal, con, sandbag, bilk, defraud, diddle, rip off

Example sentences from the Web for flimflam

  • I tried my darndest to flimflam the information out of him, but it was no use.

    The Gray Phantom's Return|Herman Landon

  • He saw that modern financial ingenuity has found a way to flimflam the devil himself.

    Yellowstone Nights|Herbert Quick

  • As long as there is plenty of flimflam to distract the viewer.

    Toy Shop|Henry Maxwell Dempsey

  • A flimflam offer by a theologian of inchoate title to improved real estate in the Sky for real estate, rentals and cash on Earth.

    The Roycroft Dictionary|Elbert Hubbard

British Dictionary definitions for flimflam

flimflam
/ (ˈflɪmˌflæm) informal /

noun

  1. nonsense; foolishness
  2. (as modifier)flimflam arguments
a deception; swindle

verb -flams, -flamming or -flammed

(tr) to deceive; trick; swindle; cheat

Derived forms of flimflam

flimflammer, noun

Word Origin for flimflam

C16: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse flīm mockery, Norwegian flire to giggle
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012