toothpick
pronunciation
How to pronounce toothpick in British English: UK [ˈtu:θpɪk]
How to pronounce toothpick in American English: US [ˈtuθˌpɪk]
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- Noun:
- pick consisting of a small strip of wood or plastic; used to pick food from between the teeth
Word Origin
- toothpick (n.)
- also tooth-pick, late 15c., from tooth + pick (n.). Old English had toðsticca.
Example
- 1. It 's rude to use a toothpick at the table .
- 2. Participants were asked either to imagine performing an action or actually asked to perform it , e.g. breaking a toothpick .
- 3. When bits of sweetmeat lodged in the teeth , the sucket fork doubled as a nifty toothpick .
- 4. The grand army man sat down behind the stove and tilted his chair back comfortably against the wall fishing his quill toothpick from his waistcoat pocket .
- 5. John turner had an irritating habit of rolling a toothpick back and forth in his mouth , and the vision of being forced to witness the smacking sounds in between lectures on law enforcement hastened his answer .