for fresh slicers, thereby making the steel more available to the war effort. Around the world Due to its convenience, sliced bread is popular in many parts of the world, and the usual thickness varies by company and country: In the United Kingdom, sliced bread is sold as either "Extra Thick", "Thick", "Medium" or "Thin" varying across the 5–20 mm range. In the Republic of Ireland, the most popular bread type is known as "sliced pan", sold in 800- or 400-gram loaves, wrapped in wax paper, with the slices conveniently sized for making sandwiches and toast. In Japan, the same half-loaf of bread is labeled by the number of slices it is cut into (commonly a 4 or 6 cut, but also 8 or 10), meaning a higher number is a thinner cut. Whole cut loaves are rarely seen. Thin sliced crustless "sandwich bread" is also sold in Japan, since regular 4–6 slice bread is deemed too thick. In Canada and the United States, Texas toast is a type of packaged bread which is sliced at double the typical thickness of most slices of bread. In Australia most sliced bread slices are about 18mm thick, known as "toast" thickness, but 12–13mm is also standard, known as "sandwich". Less common is "cafe" thickness, about 24mm. In popular culture The phrase "the greatest thing since sliced bread" is a common idiom used to praise an invention or development. A writer for The Kansas City Star wrote that "the phrase is the ultimate depiction of innovative achievement and American know-how." In 1933, an advertisement for a bread offering thick and thin slices in the same loaf called it "the first improvement since sliced bread". In 1940, a package of bread consisting of two wrapped half-loaves was advertised as the "greatest convenience since sliced bread". See also Pullman loaf, origin of a style of long narrow bread pan, and the loaves baked in it References External links – Rohwedder's 1928 bread slicer. "A Day in the Life" podcast on sliced bread. Breads Food and drink introduced in 1928 English-language idioms Sliced foods