Top Pages
A-Z glossary
punctuation
A-Z confused words
common mistakes
(ordered by seriousness) Top Tip
Get a grammar checker
for your browser vocabulary for learners tests and games awkward plurals sayings and proverbs tattoo fails our Twitter page our YouTube channel
(ordered by seriousness) Top Tip
Get a grammar checker
for your browser vocabulary for learners tests and games awkward plurals sayings and proverbs tattoo fails our Twitter page our YouTube channel
Spick and Span (Origin)
Search...
What Is the Origin of the Saying "Spick and Span"?
The term spick and span means brand new. This term has a nautical origin. Spick meant nails (or spike) and span meant wooden shavings. On a new sailing ship, the nails would still be shiny and the wooden shavings from manufacture would still be present. Therefore, a new ship would be all spick and span.Previous and Next Sayings
Test Your Knowledge of English Proverbs and Idioms
Interactive Exercise
Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.More Proverbs, Sayings, and Idioms
- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?