spick and span
3 antonyms for spick and span — opposites grouped by meaning.
Adjective — Completely clean, tidy and fresh-looking, with nothing out of place.
Antonyms
How to use spick and span
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
keep it spick and span
spick and span house
all spick and span
Informal and slightly old-fashioned but still widely used and understood. Sometimes written spic and span, and Spic and Span is also a cleaning-product brand name.
Etymology
From the older phrase spick and span new, itself an elaboration of span-new meaning brand new, from Old Norse spán-nýr, literally chip-new; spick is thought to be a nail or spike, giving the sense of something as fresh as a newly cut chip and a newly made nail.
Full origin of spick and span →Frequently asked questions
Is it spick and span or spic and span?
Spick and span is the standard spelling in British dictionaries and the historically correct one. Spic and span is a common American variant, reinforced by the cleaning brand of that name.
Does spick and span have a racist origin?
No. It predates the ethnic slur by centuries and comes from an unrelated phrase meaning brand new. The resemblance to the slur is coincidental, though it is one reason some writers prefer the fuller spick spelling or another word entirely.
