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flimflammer

flimflammer

1 9.9
A person who cheats others with tricks or fake deals
  • noun
  • /ˈflɪmˌflæmər/
  • Archaic
: timador
  • "To say nothing of the Aaron Burrs, P.T. Barnums, Andy Warhols—the con men and flimflammers."

Examples

  • You're not just flimflamming an old flimflammer, are you?

  • A flimflammer!

  • The flimflammer promised to double my money if I invested with him, but I knew it was a scam.

  • She realized too late that the man she trusted was a flimflammer who had swindled her.

  • Avoid any flimflammer who approaches you with deals that seem too good to be true.

Synonyms

fraud
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
119 4.4

A person who pretends to be something they are not to trick others

is a common label for many trick-based dishonest people
cheater
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
101 2.6

A person who breaks the rules or lies to get an advantage

emphasizes trickery and scams rather than rule-breaking alone
impostor
vsflimflammer
  • UK
62 5.1

A person who pretends to be someone else to trick people

includes impersonation but also other deceptive tactics
con man
vsflimflammer
54 4.7

A person who tricks people by gaining their trust to get their money

is the wider term for using tricks and scams to deceive others
cheat
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
50 2.6

A person who acts dishonestly to gain an unfair advantage

is more about planned trickery and fraudulent schemes
fake
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
49 3.7

A person who pretends to be someone they are not

is broader, including varied trickery beyond impersonation
scoundrel
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
47 6.5

A person who behaves dishonestly and hurts others by lying or stealing

is narrower focusing on trickery and scams rather than general immorality
con artist
vsflimflammer
44 4.8

A person who tricks people by gaining their trust to take their money or valuables

covers all trickery methods, not only trust-based approaches
charlatan
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
34 8.6

A person who says they have special skills to trick people

focuses more on trickery and financial schemes than false expertise
trickster
vsflimflammer
23 6.0

A person who lies to or cheats others, often to have fun

is typically more harmful, focusing on scams and planned fraud
pretender
vsflimflammer
20 7.4

A person who lies about their job or skills to trick people

is wider, using various trickery and scam tactics beyond false claims
scammer
vsflimflammer
  • NSFW
19 4.0

A person who tricks others to take their money or things

is the general term for such trickery rather than the modern label
imposter
vsflimflammer
  • US
18 5.1

A person who pretends to be someone else to trick people and get money or other benefits

is the wider term covering many scam or trick methods
faker
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
15 5.2

A person who pretends to be someone else or lies to trick people

is the general cheating role that includes pretending as one method
swindler
vsflimflammer
14 5.4

A person who tricks people to take their money

is broader, using trickery and schemes beyond only money theft
deceiver
vsflimflammer
11 5.5

A person who tricks others by making them believe something not true

is similar but highlights planned scams and trickery broadly
huckster
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
11 8.6

A person who sells cheap goods in a pushy or dishonest way

is broader, covering scams not only dishonest selling
hoaxer
vsflimflammer
4 6.7

A person who tricks people into believing something false for fun or attention

is more about planned trickery and ongoing fraud rather than single hoaxes
bluffer
vsflimflammer
4 7.0

A person who pretends to have skills or knowledge they do not have

is broader, covering many deceptive acts beyond bluffing
confidence man
vsflimflammer
2 8.4

A man who tricks people by gaining their trust and taking their money

includes that method but also other deceptive tactics
defrauder
vsflimflammer
  • Formal
1 7.9

A person who gets money by lying to or tricking people

covers similar trickery but not only financial gain
sandbagger
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
1 8.9

A person who hides their real skill to win unfairly in contests

is broader, using concealment among other scam techniques
phisher
vsflimflammer
  • Texting
1 7.2

A person who tricks people online to get their personal or bank details

is the general trickery term, not limited to online methods
falsifier
vsflimflammer
1 8.7

A person who changes papers or records to deceive others

is broader, covering both record falsification and other scams
bamboozler
vsflimflammer
  • Informal
1 7.8

A person who tricks or cheats people, often as a joke

is more serious, focusing on scams rather than playful tricking
finagler
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
1 9.8

A person who gets things by tricking or lying to others

focuses on trickery and scams more than clever maneuvering alone
four-flusher
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who pretends to have skills or money to impress others

is the general trickery term that includes such pretending
duper
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
1 7.9

A person who tricks others to take their money or things

covers a wider range of plotted tricks and scams
cozener
vsflimflammer
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who tricks people to get their money or things

is a plain name for cheating that uses trickery
magsman
vsflimflammer
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who tricks others using clever talk to take their money

is the up-to-date label covering similar talk-based schemes
Uncle Scam
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who tricks people into giving their money

is the general label for those who use varied trickery
rooker
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who cheats others to get money or things

is the modern, common description for such dishonest people
wangler
vsflimflammer
  • UK
9.9

A person who tricks others using clever, dishonest methods to get what they want

puts more weight on trickery as plotted scams
flayer
vsflimflammer
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who charges too much for goods or services

is broader, including nonfinancial trickery and false schemes
shammer
vsflimflammer
9.6

A person who pretends to be someone else to trick people

uses trickery for scams rather than mere pretending alone

How Deceptive

swindler
14 5.4
scammer
  • NSFW
19 4.0
con artist
44 4.8
flimflammer
  • Archaic
1 9.9
deceiver
11 5.5
trickster
23 6.0

Surface Forms

flimflammer singular
flimflammers plural

Morphology

flimflammer = flimflam (transparent) = flimflam + er

This is a regular agent-noun formation from the verb 'flimflam' plus -er, so the meaning is straightforward.

Etymology

Flimflammer comes from the older word flimflam, a playful term for 'trick' or 'nonsense', plus -er meaning 'a person who does it'. So a flimflammer is someone who uses tricks to cheat or scam other people.