spick and span
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Sense 1
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “Irreversible binomial” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Sense 2
Meaning · English
applied to anything that is quite new and fresh.—Hudibras.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “spick and span” mean?
Completely clean and tidy Literally: a ship in perfect condition
Is “spick and span” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.