|
1.
Trademark . a fluorocarbon polymer with slippery, nonsticking properties; polytetrafluoroethylene.
–adjective
2.
characterized by imperviousness to blame or criticism: a Teflon politician.
Teflon
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.
|