- spic-and-span
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spic-and-span (spĭk'ən-spănʹ)
adj.
Variant of spick-and-span.
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Universalium. 2010.
spic-and-span
Look at other dictionaries:
Spic and Span — is a major U.S. brand of all purpose household cleanser, invented by housewives Elizabeth Bet MacDonald and Naomi Stenglein in Saginaw, Michigan in 1933. The women experimented until they came up with a formula that included equal parts of ground … Wikipedia
spic and span — ↑spic and span * * * ˌspic and ˈspan idiom = ↑spick and span ↑spick Main entry: ↑spicidiom … Useful english dictionary
spic-and-span — 1660s, from spick and span new (1570s), lit. new as a recently made spike and chip of wood, from spick nail (see SPIKE (Cf. spike) (n.1)) + span new very new (c.1300), from O.N. span nyr, from spann chip + nyr new. Imitation of … Etymology dictionary
spic-and-span — adjective 1. conspicuously new shiny brand new shoes a spick and span novelty • Syn: ↑brand new, ↑bran new, ↑spick and span • Similar to: ↑new … Useful english dictionary
spic and span — very clean, very neat The house was spic and span when we returned from our holiday … Idioms and examples
spic-and-span — adjective see spick and span … New Collegiate Dictionary
spic-and-span — (Roget s Thesaurus II) adjective See spick and span … English dictionary for students
spick-and-span — adjective 1. conspicuously new shiny brand new shoes a spick and span novelty • Syn: ↑brand new, ↑bran new, ↑spic and span • Similar to: ↑new … Useful english dictionary
spick and span — (also spic and span) adjective neat, clean, and well looked after. Origin C16 (in the sense brand new ): from spick and span new, emphatic extension of dialect span new, from ON spán nýr, from spánn chip + nýr new ; spick influenced by Du.… … English new terms dictionary
spick and span — spic and span [ˌspık ən ˈspæn] adj [not before noun] informal a room, house etc that is spick and span is completely clean and tidy … Dictionary of contemporary English
