flim-flam

A flim-flam (sometimes spelled flimflam) is a trick or a deception, especially one using skillful persuasion or clever manipulation to swindle someone out of something (usually money).

In other words, flim-flam is a slang term for a confidence trick, more popularly known as a con or a scam.

Like the words con and scam, flim-flam can also be used as a verb, meaning to swindle or cheat. Similar words are dupe and fleece.

As a noun, flim-flam can also mean a piece of nonsense. Similar words are balderdash, baloney, bosh, bunk, bunkum, codswallop, drivel, hogwash, hokum, hooey, poppycock, rubbish, tommyrot, and twaddle.

The term flim-flam artist is a synonym of the much more common term con artist. Other synonyms include scam artist, grifter, hustler, swindler, and the gender-specific con man and confidence man.

The first records of the term flim-flam come from the mid-1500s. There are varying theories about its origin. It may be of Scandinavian origin—the Old Norse word flīm means “mockery.” Or it may be of expressive origin, meaning it was formed to sound like what it referred to—nonsense.

Flim-flam is not commonly used, especially compared to many of its synonyms.

Here are some examples of flim-flam in a sentence:

• From the moment I answered the phone I could tell it was a flim-flam.
• There is no shortage of movies about flim-flam artists using their skills of deception to steal from bad guys.
• It’s a bit harder to flim-flam me, you amateur! Hey, where’s my wallet?
• What a load of flim-flam—absolute codswallop!