E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Flam.
Flattery for an object; blarney; humbug. (Irish, flim, Anglo-Saxon, flœm, flight.)
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“They told me what a fine thing it was to be an Englishman, and about liberty and property . . I find it was a flam.”—Godwin: Caleb Williams. vol. ii. chap. v. p. 57.
