A confidence trick or deceptive scheme designed to trick someone out of money or possessions; nonsense or bluff.
Origin uncertain, but likely reduplicative (formed by repeating similar sounds for emphasis), possibly from Scandinavian languages. The term became common in American English by the 19th century for con games and trickery.
The doubling of similar sounds—flim-flam—is a linguistic pattern scammers actually exploit; the rhythm and repetition make fake claims sound more convincing, which is why carnival con artists have used this term for over 150 years.
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