"He Ain't Nothin' but..."

I recall the first time I heard the phrase used. It was the summer of 1957. I was working at New England Lead Burning Company in St. Louis, Missouri. My Dad was a top salesman for the industrial corrosion protection company and pulled the strings to get me on the payroll as a laborer, truck driver and general 'gofer.'

I used to enjoy lunchtime banter between older workers. They were mostly hard working 'good guys' with entrenched opinions, beliefs and attitudes...they didn't cotton much to 'facts,' which failed to line up and support their positions. Anybody who knew the Roustio boys knew one thing...they busted their ass in work situations because Dad expected it and you surely did not want to leave the impression that 'his boys' were lazy. The workers respected me and I did then what I do today...stir the pot...why?...because the pot needs stirring...people need to be challenged about their beliefs and attitudes, which impact human relationships. Anyway...

The lunch-time conversation was about a current politician. I heard one fella say, "That sumbitch, he ain't nothin' but a four-flusher." I knew what he meant. A 'four-flusher' is a bluffer, a cheat, a worthless dishonest person.

Now, in a manner of speaking, may I put a contemporary face to the phrase 'four-flusher?'
A bluffer..."I'm going to build a wall along the border and Mexico is going to pay for it."
                  "We need to round up all illegal immigrants and deport them."
                  "We need to have police surveillance in Mosque neighborhoods."

A cheat....Failed to pay federal taxes for years, stiffed creditors with four bankruptcies and refused to
                pay other contractors for completed work.

Worthless
       &
Dishonest..Makes demeaning comments about women, the disabled and opponents' family. When called out he denies his comments or suggests that his comments were misinterpreted. A person who makes 'false' claims...claims to be richer than actual, claims Obama was not a U. S. Citizen. Claims that he knows more about terrorists than the military. Donald J. Trump IS a Four-Flusher!