Teflon
[tef-lon]
- a fluorocarbon polymer with slippery, nonsticking properties; polytetrafluoroethylene.
Show More
- characterized by imperviousness to blame or criticism: a Teflon politician.
Show More
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for teflon
Contemporary Examples
We are talking not of a Teflon Rupert, a man against whom nothing sticks.
Murdoch on the Rocks: How a Lone Reporter Revealed the Mogul's Tabloid Terror MachineClive Irving
August 25, 2014
Whether he is just as lucky for the rest of his legal battles will be the true test of the strength of his Teflon shield.
Silvio Berlusconi may have lost his job as prime minister, but his Teflon shield apparently still works.
Reagan had his Teflon; Romney has his inviolably immaculate white shirts.
A fugitive since 1995 who seemed untouchable, he is also compared to the “Teflon Don” of New York, John Gotti.
Historical Examples
We don't know the formula yet, but it is as much more stable than our teflon as teflon is than corn-meal mush.
Masters of SpaceEdward Elmer Smith
Teflon
- trademark polytetrafluoroethylene, when used in nonstick cooking vessels
Show More
- facetious denoting the ability to evade blamethe Teflon president
Show More
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for teflon
Teflon
n.
commercially important synthetic polymer, 1945, proprietary name registered in U.S. by du Pont, from chemical name (poly)te(tra)fl(uoroethylene) + arbitrary ending -on; popularized as a coating of non-stick pans in 1960s; metaphoric extension, especially in reference to U.S. President Ronald Reagan, is attested from an Aug. 2, 1983, speech on the floor of Congress by Pat Schroeder.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper