Where does “flashman” come from?

flashman (English) comes from English MAN, from English manual, from Middle English manuel, from Anglo-Norman manuel, from Old French manual, from Latin manuālis, from Latin manus, from Proto-Italic manus — human being; man; hand.

flashman (English): A slick salesman or spin doctor; A pimp; A...

Definitions

  1. A slick salesman or spin doctor; A pimp; A...

Ancestry of “flashman”, step by step

flashman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English MAN

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMANInitialism of Metropolitan Area Network
2EnglishmanualA handbook; A booklet that instructs on the usage...
3Middle Englishmanuel
4Anglo-Normanmanuelmanual; done with the hands; handle; manual;...
5Old Frenchmanual
6Latinmanuālishand
7Latinmanushand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting
8Proto-Italicmanushand
9Proto-Indo-Europeanman-human being; man; hand

via English Flash

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishFlashA multimedia platform, most often used for adding animation and interactivity to webpages
2Middle Englishflasshen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European man-