flam: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowArchaic/Literary (for deception); Technical (for music)
Quick answer
What does “flam” mean?
A falsehood, deception, or sham.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A falsehood, deception, or sham; a trick or hoax.
In music, a drum rudiment consisting of a quiet grace note followed by a louder primary stroke; also used historically to mean a whim or fancy.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant regional differences in meaning. The musical term is used identically.
Connotations
The deception sense carries an archaic, slightly poetic or quaint connotation in both varieties.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in general language. The musical term has moderate frequency within its specialist domain.
Grammar
How to Use “flam” in a Sentence
to flam someone (into doing something)to be taken in by a flamVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “flam” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- He tried to flam the old gentleman out of his watch.
- Don't flam me with your improbable tales.
American English
- The con artist flammed the tourists with a fake charity plea.
- He's just flamming you; don't believe a word.
adverb
British English
- (Rare/Obsolete)
American English
- (Rare/Obsolete)
adjective
British English
- It was a flam story, designed to stir up sympathy.
- His flam excuses convinced no one.
American English
- The whole scheme was flam from the start.
- She saw through his flam proposal immediately.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Rare, possibly in historical/literary studies discussing 18th-19th century texts.
Everyday
Extremely rare. Unfamiliar to most speakers.
Technical
Standard term in percussion and drumming pedagogy.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “flam”
- Using it in modern contexts to mean 'lie'.
- Confusing it with 'flame'.
- Misspelling as 'flame'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is very rare in everyday language. Its main modern use is as a technical term in music for a specific drum stroke.
Yes, but the verb form (meaning to deceive) is now archaic and would sound very old-fashioned or literary.
A flam is a stroke with one grace note and one primary note. A drag has two grace notes before the primary note. Both are standard rudiments.
Etymologically, they are distinct. 'Flam' (deception) likely comes from Old Norse or dialectal English, while 'flame' comes from Latin 'flamma'. The similarity is coincidental.
A falsehood, deception, or sham.
Flam is usually archaic/literary (for deception); technical (for music) in register.
Flam: in British English it is pronounced /flæm/, and in American English it is pronounced /flæm/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None in common use.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a FLAMe that flickers and deceives the eye, or a FLAM on a drum that sounds like a quick 'fa-lam'.
Conceptual Metaphor
DECEPTION IS A FLEETING FLAME (insubstantial, distracting, potentially dangerous but short-lived).
Practice
Quiz
In modern English, 'flam' is most likely to be encountered in which context?