pipe cleaner

American  

noun

1. a short length of twisted flexible wires covered with tufted fabric, used to clean the stem of a smoker's pipe and for various handicrafts.

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pipe cleaner British  

noun

1. a short length of thin wires twisted so as to hold tiny tufts of yarn: used to clean the stem of a tobacco pipe

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Etymology

Origin of pipe cleaner

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

A pipe cleaner can be very helpful for these soft rubber bits as well, but due to its metal rod core, it should not be used on much else.

From The Verge • Nov. 9, 2021

Ms Keith's fidgeting tool of choice is a pipe cleaner - simple, and quiet, if a little odd.

From BBC • Jul. 22, 2019

In his early scenes, Forky’s alarming new organs and appendages seem temporary at best: his pipe cleaner isn’t securely tied and he’s got a loose googly eye.

From Slate • Jun. 23, 2019

As played by Erin Wilhelmi, holding herself like a bent pipe cleaner in a print dress, she is a living illustration of pathos transmuted into rage.

From New York Times • Dec. 14, 2018

You could read it as a materialization, out of the white pipe cleaner mist into the solid fight of day.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood