Have you ever heard someone say something is the ‘best thing since sliced bread’? Are you unsure of the meaning of this phrase? We’ll go over the meaning and origin, plus teach you how to use the phrase in a sentence.
In short:
Essentially, it’s a way to let someone know that you’re very excited about something or someone.
‘Best thing since sliced bread’ is a common English phrase that people use to describe something wonderful or extraordinary. You might hear it after someone’s received great news they were expecting or if they just bought something they’re really excited about.
For example, if someone has just purchased a car they’ve been wanting for a long time, they might say:
This is the best thing since sliced bread! Look at all the bells and whistles!
In season 12, episode 7 of Family Guy, Peter, and Quagmire are starting a band. Peter says to Quagmire:
We’re gonna be the best thing since sliced bread!
He’s telling Quagmire that their band is going to be great, that people are going to love them.
In the movie Hercules, the love interest, Meg, tells Hercules that people think he’s:
'…the greatest thing since they put the pocket in pita'
She’s basically telling him that people think he’s amazing, great, and spectacular. The phrase is synonymous with 'best thing since sliced bread.'
The phrase ‘best thing since sliced bread’ is said to come from famous comedian Red Skeleton.
In 1952, in an interview with the Salisbury Times, he said:
'Don’t worry about television. It’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.'
However, other sources say it comes from The Northern Whig of Belfast, Ireland. Supposedly, the phrase was published on Thursday, March 8, 1951, by American journalist Dorothy Kilgallen, who was writing about British film actor Stewart Granger.
The quote reads:
'He is the greatest thing since sliced bread!'
How would you use ‘best thing since sliced bread’ in a sentence?
Let’s look at some examples:
What other words or phrases convey the same meaning as ‘best thing since sliced bread’?
Let’s see some examples:
To recap, we learned the following:
Essentially, it’s a way to let someone know that you’re very excited about something or someone.
If you ever get stuck on anything, feel free to revisit this page to review what you learned. We’ve also got a whole library of content dedicated to explaining confusing idioms. Feel free to check it out anytime.
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