A toothpick is a small, thin piece of wood or plastic with pointed ends, used to remove bits of food stuck between your teeth after eating. Toothpicks are usually about as long as your pinky finger and narrow enough to fit into the tight spaces between teeth where your tongue can feel something lodged but your finger can't reach.

People have used toothpicks for thousands of years. Ancient Romans had fancy silver and bronze toothpicks, and archaeologists have found toothpicks in prehistoric sites. Today's wooden toothpicks are typically made from birch wood and come in boxes of hundreds.

The word also appears in some interesting phrases. A toothpick is so thin that people use it as a comparison for anything extremely skinny: someone might say a very slender person looks like they could be “knocked over by a toothpick.” In old Western movies, you might see a cowboy with a toothpick dangling from his mouth, which became a symbol of being casual or relaxed.

While toothpicks can help remove food particles in a pinch, dentists recommend flossing instead because it cleans more thoroughly and reduces the risk of poking your gums.