flimflam
Deceptive nonsense scheme
Flimflam is nonsense or deceptive talk, especially when used to swindle someone.
A flimflam is a confidence trick or petty fraud: The whole investment scheme was a flimflam.
To flimflam is to cheat through fast talk or misdirection: He flimflammed tourists out of their cash.
The word has an old-fashioned, almost playful ring despite describing dishonesty.
Argument against
- scamDishonest money-making scheme
- swindleDeception for financial gain
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
trickery · dupery · chicanery · ruse · subterfuge · double-dealing · deceit · artifice
Deceive through cunning
- hoodwinkTrick into false belief
- dupeDeceive or victim
- swindleDeception for financial gain
- conArgument against
fleece · bilk · defraud · cheat · gull · cozen · hornswoggle · sucker
Fraud who deceives for profit
- charlatanFaker claiming false expertise
- grifterPetty fraud perpetrator
- fraudsterCriminal deceiver for gain
- hucksterAggressive, unscrupulous peddler
mountebank · cheat · trickster · scammer · impostor · hustler · shark · fleecer
con
Argument against
- scamDishonest money-making scheme
- swindleDeception for financial gain
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
hoax · trickery · dupery · chicanery · ruse · subterfuge · double-dealing · deceit · artifice · wile
bamboozle
Deceive through cunning
con · fleece · bilk · defraud · cheat · gull · cozen · hornswoggle · sucker · rook
conman
Fraud who deceives for profit
- charlatanFaker claiming false expertise
- grifterPetty fraud perpetrator
- fraudsterCriminal deceiver for gain
huckster · mountebank · cheat · trickster · scammer · impostor · hustler · shark · fleecer · bilker
balderdash
Senseless talk or writing
- hogwashFoolish or untrue talk
- claptrapInsincere, pretentious language
- poppycockFoolish or meaningless talk
malarkey · bunk · twaddle · tommyrot · flummery · tomfoolery · hooey · trumpery · fiddle-faddle · flapdoodle
- deceptionlie, lies, lying, fake, fraud
- American slangbamboozle, bogus, bunkum, conniption, discombobulate
- blatherbabble, balderdash, baloney, blarney, blather
- rhyming reduplicativesflip flop, hip hop, tip top, zigzag, ping pong
- shady dealingsscams, swindles, cons, grifts, fraud
- fraudscam, fraud, swindle, con, deceive
flimflamhonesty
Truthfulness, sincerity
truthfulness · sincerity · probity · integrity · candor
flimflamauthenticity
Quality of being genuine
genuineness · substance · legitimacy · truth · reality
- flimflam manProfessional deceiver for profit
- flimflam artistDeceptive schemer for profit