flim-flam

NOUN

spoof

Synonyms

STRONGEST

burlesque caricature parody prank satire

STRONG

bluff cheat deceit deception fake game hoax imposture jest joke lampoon phony put on quip sell sham travesty trickery wisecrack

WEAK

bon mot send-up takeoff

Antonyms

STRONG

frankness honesty openness reality truth truthfulness uprightness

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for 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.

What are some synonyms for flim-flam artist?

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.

Where does flim-flam come from?

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.

How do you use flim-flam in a sentence?

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!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He said he loved shows "about big-hearted flim-flam artists in musicals like The Music Man, The Greatest Showman, and The Producers. At the core they are romantics who get in over their heads."

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2024

Only then, when he has excoriated all of the "flim-flam" and removed the "fat off of the bones," does he believe that the song is once and truly written.

From Salon • Sep. 25, 2021

According to the complaint, he asked Farranto, who was a Waffle House waitress, if she was the “waffle woman” who liked to sue people and called her a “scam flim-flam artist.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 16, 2021

This flim-flam man had led me to believe he was an affluent farmer and property developer.

From The Guardian • Jul. 17, 2019

"What's the flim-flam?" said Al, who recognized in Macnooder qualities of a superior intelligence.

From Skippy Bedelle His Sentimental Progress From the Urchin to the Complete Man of the World by Fuhr, Ernest

flim-flam

Frequently Asked Questions

Example Sentences

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