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View synonyms for flimflam

flimflam

[ flim-flam ]

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.


verb (used with object)

, flim·flammed, flim·flam·ming.
  1. to trick, deceive, swindle, or cheat:

    A fortuneteller flimflammed her out of her savings.

flimflam

/ ˈflɪmˌflæm /

noun

    1. nonsense; foolishness
    2. ( as modifier )

      flimflam arguments

  1. a deception; swindle
“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


verb

  1. tr to deceive; trick; swindle; cheat
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈflimˌflammer, noun
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Other Words From

  • flimflammer noun
  • flimflammer·y noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of flimflam1

First recorded in 1530–40; gradational compound of expressive origin
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Word History and Origins

Origin of flimflam1

C16: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse flīm mockery, Norwegian flire to giggle
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Example Sentences

Perhaps Democrats should just let the Republicans pass this redundant piece of flimflam so that when Trump loses again, they can say, well, the election must be legitimate since Donald Trump and Mike Johnson ensured that the integrity of the vote was fully protected.

From Salon

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

From Salon

Liars like Kari Lake, who lost a bid for Arizona governor by parroting former President Trump’s falsehoods and hopes now to flimflam her way to a Senate seat, are only the most visible threat to our system of democracy.

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

“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.”

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flimflimsy