Word

flimflam

Meaning

Flimflam is deceptive talk, a swindle, or nonsense. As a verb, it means to trick or cheat someone.

Meanings of “flimflam”

  1. Confusing talk intended to deceive someone.1

    Tone
    Old-fashioned and informal, as labelled by Cambridge.
    Where you’ll see it
    Noun, usually uncountable. This sense concerns misleading language rather than a specific scam.

    Examples

    • Original illustrative example: The salesman offered plenty of flimflam but no clear answer about the fee.

    Examples are written for this site to show typical use. They are not quotes.

  2. A trick or scheme that deceives someone, especially to take their money or property.2

    Tone
    Disapproving.
    Where you’ll see it
    Noun. Dictionary.com includes swindles and confidence games that use persuasion or manipulation.

    Examples

    • Original illustrative example: The promised prize was a flimflam designed to collect payment details.

  3. Nonsense or foolish talk.2

    Tone
    Disapproving.
    Where you’ll see it
    Noun. This meaning dismisses a statement as foolish without necessarily describing a financial scam.

    Examples

    • Original illustrative example: He dismissed the story about a haunted printer as flimflam.

  4. To trick, deceive, swindle, or cheat someone.2

    Tone
    Disapproving.
    Where you’ll see it
    Transitive verb, used with an object. Dictionary.com lists the forms flimflammed and flimflamming. The pattern flimflam someone out of something describes cheating someone out of money or property.

    Examples

    • Original illustrative example: The fake agent tried to flimflam Nora out of her deposit.

Usage notes

  • The meaning depends on grammar and context. A flimflam can be a particular scam; flimflam without an article can refer to deceptive talk or nonsense.
  • Cambridge labels its uncountable noun sense old-fashioned and informal. Dictionary.com also records a transitive verb and broader noun meanings.
  • Every example in this entry is an original illustration, not a quotation from a dictionary or a report of an actual event.

Origin

Origin not verified.

Sources

  1. flimflam, Cambridge Dictionary

    dictionary.cambridge.orgAccessed Back to text

    https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/flimflam

  2. flimflam, Dictionary.com

    dictionary.comAccessed Back to text

    https://www.dictionary.com/browse/flimflam