spick-and-span | Idiomator

Meaning: (idiomatic)Clean,spotless.Synonyms:seeThesaurus:cleanI mopped up the kitchen floor so it wasspick-and-span.1614November 10 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Beniamin Iohnson [i.e.,Ben Jonson],Bartholmew Fayre: A Comedie,[…], London:[…]I[ohn]B[eale]forRobert Allot,[…], published1631,→OCLC, Act III, scene v,page41:Sir, this is a ſpell againſt 'hem,ſpicke and ſpannew, and 'tis made as 'twere in mine owne perſon, and I ſing it in mine owne defence.1665November 25 (date written; Gregorian calendar),Samuel Pepys,Mynors Bright, transcriber, “November 15th, 1665”, inHenry B[enjamin] Wheatley, editor,The Diary of Samuel Pepys[…], volume(please specify |volume=I to X), London:George Bell & Sons[…]; Cambridge:Deighton Bell & Co., published1893–1899,→OCLC:My Lady Batten walking through the dirty lane with newspicke and spanwhite shoes.1898,Oscar Wilde,The Ballad of Reading Gaol:The Warders strutted up and down, / And kept their herd of brutes, / Their uniforms werespick and span, / And they wore their Sunday suits, / But we knew the work they had been at, / By the quicklime on their boots.1919[1918],Jack London,The Red One‎[1], London: Mills and Boon:“But the traders ruined his digestion with too much champagne, and after several years he fell for the Gospel according to the Methodists, sent his people to church, and cleaned up the beach and the trading crowd sospick and spanthat he would not permit them to smoke a pipe out of doors on Sunday,[…]1922,Christopher Morley,Where the Blue Begins‎[2]:Mr. and Mrs. Chow, for instance, drew up one afternoon in theirspick-and-spancoupe with their intolerably spotless only child sitting self-consciously beside them.1942March, “Notes and News: Locomotive Notes”, inRailway Magazine, page93:The "V4" 2-6-2Bantam Cockis now stationed at Norwich, and itsspick-and-spancondition does credit to the cleaners at that shed.1994,Quentin Tarantino,Roger Avary,Pulp Fiction, spoken by The Wolf (Harvey Keitel):Wipe down the upholstery – now when it comes to upholstery, it don't need to bespic and span, you don't need to eat off in. Give it a good once over.2014February 18, XoXo, BOOK WORM_98, “My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak—review”, inThe Guardian‎[3],→ISSN:From aspick and spanpenthouse in New York, to a ranch in Colorado, from a posh boarding school to public school, and from having virtually no boys in her life to having 12!

Examples:

EN: # Stand at arms spick-and-span #
ES: Todos alerta e impecables.
EN: Uniforms spick-and-span, parades heads-up.
ES: Con sus uniformes de punta en blanco y todos en formación.
EN: It ain't as spick-and-span as I'd like it.
ES: No está impecable como quisiera.
EN: Into the sunshine of spring, the circus rises from its winter hibernation, spick-and-span, and ready for eight months of excitement and adventure.
ES: Al sol de la primavera, el circo se despierta de su hibernación, fresco como una rosa... y listo para ocho meses de emociones y aventuras.
EN: I want you spick-and-span for the chair.
ES: Le quiero impecable para la silla.
EN: Now let's get spick-and-span for Rosebud.
ES: Ahora vamos a por Rosebud.
EN: All fixed up, spick-and-span.
ES: - Está toda pagada. Está limpia y recién pintada.
EN: There you are! You look spick-and-span.
ES: Aquí estás, tienes un aspecto estupendo
EN: I want them cleaned up spick-and-span for tomorrow night.
ES: Quiero que los dejen impecables para mañana a la noche.
EN: I can't stand it I've gotta keep this place spick-and-span.
ES: Tengo que mantener esto como una patena.
EN: He was crying when he cut his spick-and-span sock,
ES: Él estaba llorando cuando cortó su impecable calcetín.
EN: I wouldn't want to lay too much stress on doing dishes and stuff. And what do we do once we have that place all spick-and-span?
ES: sin pensar demasiado en fregar platos y esas cosas, y después de que lo tuviéramos todo arreglado y limpio.
EN: Theyweregivenan address by a British officer through a loud speaker van. TheS.S.men are not so spick-and-span now.
ES: Los hombres de las S.S. ya no estaban tan frescos y radiantes.
EN: I want this place spick-and-span by Saturday, or I'm turning us all in.
ES: Quiero este lugar impecable para el sábado o nos entregaremos.
EN: Hello. Come on. Now, you thank Uncle Chris for making your little home all spick-and-span.
ES: Debes darle las gracias al tío Chris por haber dejado reluciente tu casita.

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