Spick and span
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Exceptionally neat, clean and fresh-looking, with everything in an orderly and polished condition. Usually complimentary and somewhat informal. It now stresses cleanliness and order, although early examples referred primarily to newness or freshness. Regional use: English development from a medieval Scandinavian-derived expression; now international.
Origin
The expression did not begin as a maritime reference or specifically as a claim about cleanliness. Middle English span-new, recorded around 1285, was related to an Old Norse image of something as new as a freshly cut chip. English expanded this to spick and span new by 1579, adding another image of newness. Samuel Pepys used the shortened spick and span in 1665 of new shoes. The familiar neat-and-clean sense developed later from that earlier meaning brand new, so the components are older than the modern interpretation.
Research Sources
Variants
- Spick and span new
Usage Examples
- The volunteers left the community kitchen spick and span after the fundraiser.
- By noon, every cabin was spick and span for the arriving guests.
- His workshop is always spick and span, despite the amount of sawdust produced.