spick and span

4 synonyms and 3 antonyms for spick and span, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Adjective — Completely clean, tidy and fresh-looking, with nothing out of place.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

immaculate pristine

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

spotless shipshape

Antonyms

filthy grubby messy

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.

People also searched

messy filthy immaculate pristine shipshape spotless grubby

Nearby words

← Back to the full definition of spick and span