# best thing since sliced bread

idiom · CEFR B1

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/best-thing-since-sliced-bread
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Alternative form of greatest thing since sliced bread.

## Examples

- This new app is the best thing since sliced bread.
- Many people think the new high-speed train is the best thing since sliced bread because it saves so much time.
- While some critics remained skeptical, the inventor firmly believed his revolutionary device would be hailed by the public as the best thing since sliced bread.

## Origin

Pre-sliced bread, first sold in 1928 using Otto Rohwedder's slicing machine, was advertised as 'the greatest forward step in the baking industry'; the comparison became proverbial by mid-century.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.