Question

Spick-and-Span extremely clean, tidy, neat

Accepted Answer

The counselor wanted the bunk spick-and-span before we could get our snacks. There are two possible explanations about the origin of this famous phrase. One comes from the Old Norse language. "Spick" meant trim or neat. "Spanny" was a word that meant absolutely new. In the 1500s the two words might have been put together to mean "new and neat." Another theory comes from the days of the great sailing ships. "Spick" was a spike or nail. "Span" was a wood chip. A "spick and span new" ship (the original wording) was one on which every spike and chip was brand-new. By the mid-19th century this idiom was popular in the United States. Its popularity was helped by its alliteration (spick-and-span).

Idiom	Spick-and-Span
Example	The counselor wanted the bunk spick-and-span before we could get our snacks.
Meaning	extremely clean, tidy, neat
Origin	There are two possible explanations about the origin of this famous phrase. One comes from the Old Norse language. "Spick" meant trim or neat. "Spanny" was a word that meant absolutely new. In the 1500s the two words might have been put together to mean "new and neat." Another theory comes from the days of the great sailing ships. "Spick" was a spike or nail. "Span" was a wood chip. A "spick and span new" ship (the original wording) was one on which every spike and chip was brand-new. By the mid-19th century this idiom was popular in the United States. Its popularity was helped by its alliteration (spick-and-span).

Spick And Span Spick Meant Spike Counselor Wanted Bunk Snacks