Spick-and-span

Alternative forms

• spic and span
• spick and span

Origin

From spick-and-span-new (literally new as a recently made spike and chip of wood) (1570s), from spick ("nail") (variant of spike) + Middle English span-new ("very new") (from circa 1300 until 1800s), from Old Norse span-nyr, from spann ("chip") (cognate to Old English spón, Modern English spoon, due to old spoons being made of wood) + nyr ("new") (cognate to Old English nīwe, Modern English new).

Online Etymology Dictionary

Imitation of Dutch spiksplinter nieuw (literally spike-splinter new)

The term "spickspelder nieuwe deuntjes" was used to refer to "brand-new tunes" in a Dutch songbook published in 1630

, for a freshly built ship. Observe that fresh woodchips are firm and light (if from light wood), but decay and darken rapidly, hence the origin of the term.

Full definition of spick-and-span

Adjective

1. (idiomatic) Clean, spotless; original sense “like new”.I mopped up the kitchen floor so it was spick-and-span.

Synonyms