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It doesn't come from a derogatory term. It appears to be a combination of two terms that mean new. Span came from Old Norse and spick came from Dutch. ORIGIN late 16th cent. (in the sense ‘brand new’): from spick and span new, emphatic extension of dialect span new, from Old Norse spán-nýr, from spánn ‘chip’ + nýr ‘new’; spick ...
One of the alleged origins of "spick and span" is that "spick" is a spike, or nail, which is shiny and clean when new; figuratively like as bright as a new pin. A "span" can be newly cut wood, so the general meaning of "spick and span" is "like new", and not really appropriate to apply to a person.
Aug 10, 2016 · A Spick/Spic is a metal nail, a span is a wooden nail or wedge. Spic in the derogatory sense comes from “speak the” as in “no speak the English” which turned into spiggotry and then into Spic. Having no relation to Spick and Span. This may be the original origin of those words however their current use is absolutely racist.
Jun 5, 2024 · After the birthday party, my house was a disaster. So, I spent hours cleaning it, and by the end of the day, it was spick-and-span. You couldn’t even tell there had been a party. The council spends a lot of money keeping the town spick and span.
spick 在这里是单词 spike 的变体，spike 有“钉子”的意思。 在英文中有 as neat as a new pin 的说法，直译过来就是“像新的大头针一样整洁”。 以前的钉子都是铁钉，放一段时间就很容易生锈，可能是这样新的钉子才会和“干净”这一意思扯上关系。
Aug 19, 2020 · Nor am I sure about the further etymology (cp. *spel "fall, cast", iirc). English retains such vowel quantities as different vowels somewhere, possibly, but mostly lost it, cp. span of the hand, Ger. Handspanne. For a compromise I could accept clean the shop spick'n'span, like swallow it line hook'n'sinker.
Oct 24, 2020 · 234K subscribers in the etymology community. Discussing the origins of words and phrases, in English or any other language.
Jul 20, 2018 · TheFuschiaIsNow. ADMIN MOD. Did the makers of Spic and Span ever get any flak for their brand name? Considering the fact that the brand is called Spic and Span. Have they ever gotten in trouble for offending Spanish people? It seems like both parts compliment each other and the fact that it’s a cleaning solution makes their case even worse.
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