flam

Meanings

Noun

• A freak or whim; an idle fancy.
• A falsehood; a lie; an illusory pretext
• Two taps (a grace note followed by a full-volume tap) played very close together in order to sound like one slightly longer note.

Verb

• To deceive with a falsehood.
• To play (notes as) a flam.

Origin

• 17th century; from flim-flam, itself perhaps from a dialectal word or Scandinavian; compare Old Norse flim ("lampoon, mockery").
• Imitative.