Crossword Genius

Thread that only breaks when one of the ends is missing (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

nylon

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'thread' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'only breaks when one of the ends is missing' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
an anagram of 'only' is 'nylo' which is present in the answer.
A single letter 'n' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'that' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for nylon that I've seen before include "Plastic used for stockings" , "Man-made material" , "Hosiery material" , "Unaccompanied part song" , "where ladder can appear?" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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