the.com/floss
the only thread between you and a dentist's disappointed sigh
means A thin, often waxed thread used to clean the gaps between your teeth — or, more recently, a verb meaning to show off, especially your wealth or possessions.
from From Old French 'flosche,' meaning down or floss-silk, likely related to Latin 'floccus' (a tuft of wool). The word first described soft, loose strands of silk before dentistry borrowed it for that waxy thread. The slang sense — to flaunt — bloomed in 1990s American hip-hop, the idea being that you 'floss' your success the way you'd polish a smile, putting the shine on display.
- ancient origin
- People used horsehair to clean teeth long ago
- prison hack
- Inmates have braided floss into surprisingly strong escape rope
- dance move
- A 2010s craze made arms swing like floss
- daily skippers
- Most people lie about flossing to dentists
- first patent
- A dentist patented dental floss in 1898
waterpik aquarius — electric water flosser brand with over 3 million units sold annually
oral-b glide — market-leading dental floss product, expanded to 8 variants by 2023
cocofloss — coconut oil-infused floss brand launched in 2014, popular in wellness market