flimflam
UK[ˈflɪmflæm]US[ˈflɪmflæm]
n
nonsense or deception; foolish talk or ideas.
n
a trick or confidence game.
v
to trick or deceive someone.
Etymology
"flimflam" is a playful, reduplicative formation from the 16th century, imitating the sound of empty, deceptive talk. it belongs to a large family of english rhyming compounds like "hocus-pocus" and "wishy-washy" that use sound symbolism to convey a sense of triviality, nonsense, or repetitive motion. the first element "flim" may be a variant of an older Scandinavian word meaning "mockery," but the primary force of the word comes from its jingling, insubstantial sound, which perfectly mirrors its meaning of trivial deceit or foolish chatter. this auditory creation evolved from simply meaning "nonsense" to specifically denoting a petty swindle or the act of deceiving with smooth talk.
Analysis
the word is a reduplicative compound, a common formation in english where a syllable is repeated with a slight phonetic variation. both elements "flim" and "flam" lack independent morphemic status in modern english and derive their meaning from their combined, rhythmic sound.
Examples
don't listen to his flimflam; he's just trying to sell you something useless.
the whole scheme was an elaborate flimflam designed to part investors from their money.
they managed to flimflam the tourists into buying fake tickets.