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spick-and-span

 - 2 dictionary results

spick-and-span

[spik-uhn-span]
–adjective
1. spotlessly clean and neat: a spick-and-span kitchen.
2. perfectly new; fresh.
–adverb
3. in a spick-and-span manner.

Origin:
1570–80; short for spick-and-span-new, alliterative extension of span-new
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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spick-and-span also spic-and-span   (spĭk'ən-spān')   
adj.  
  1. Immaculately clean; spotless. See Synonyms at neat1.

  2. Brand-new; fresh.


[Short for obsolete spick and span-new : spick, spike (variant of spike1) + span-new.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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