Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

flim-flam

/ˈflɪmflæm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.99 in modern English

Syllables: flim-flam
IPA: /ˈflɪmflæm/

18

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Misinformation; bunkum; false information presented as true.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Confidence game, con game.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Archaic; Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Most reports of supernatural occurrences turn out to be flim-flam when carefully investigated."
"Those who got the joke understood that all of the city’s talk of ideas and principles was flimflam to conceal self-enrichment at the public’s expense. Those who didn’t, didn’t."

Etymology

Ultimately a sound-symbolic reduplication, 1538 as noun, 1660 as verb. Perhaps from a dialectal word or North Germanic/Scandinavian; compare Old Norse flim (“lampoon, mockery”).

Word Breakdown

Root: -

Usage

Inflected Forms

flim-flams (plural) flimflam (alternative) flim flam (alternative)

Derived Forms

flam flim

Phrases

flim-flam man

Synonyms

absurdity all my eye all my eye and Betty Martin apple grease applesauce bafflegab balderdash balls baloney banana oil Bandini baragouin

Homonyms

flimflam

Rhymes With

am damn sam ma'am islam vietnam graham exam uncle sam ram dam jam

Questions

How do you pronounce flim-flam?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈflɪmflæm/.
What does flim-flam mean?: Misinformation; bunkum; false information presented as true.
Where does flim-flam come from?: Ultimately a sound-symbolic reduplication, 1538 as noun, 1660 as verb. Perhaps from a dialectal word or North Germanic/Scandinavian; compare Old Norse flim (“lampoon, mockery”).

How to pronounce flim-flam

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “flim-flam”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈflɪmflæm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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