floss

I heard someone talking about a superstitious man who chewed dental floss like another man chews gum or tobacco.

"His thinking was that if he was going to be chewing something all day, he might as well be chewing something with known health benefits," she told me. "He would tell anyone who listened, 'I like to think of the thousands of chimpanzees, banging on their typewriters, who reproduce the works of Shakespeare by chance. Perhaps after years of chewing and miles of floss, this minty wad will occupy every possible position in my mouth, weaving in and out of every tooth by divine providence.'"

I asked her if he was serious, and she shrugged. He was an ambitious man.