Spic 'n' Span...

[Jinx]

Although rarely used, this phrase came up in conversation the other day. We were wondering the origin. I don’t know why, but it sounds like its origins would lie in the military. And, although there is/was a product on the market by this name, I would wager the phrase came first… Anyone know the history of this phrase and what (if any) the words mean individually? - Jinx

[peepthis]

The Word Detective says:

The phrase was originally “spick and span new,” and while we usually use “spick (or “spic”) and span” to mean “spotlessly clean” (as they say in the commercials), the original meaning was “brand new.” “Spick and span” dates back to the 16th century and was originally used to describe a brand new ship. The “spick” was a spike or nail, and the “span” came from an Old Norse word, “spannyr,” meaning “fresh wood chip.” A ship that was “spick and span new” was therefore “new in every nail and piece of wood.”

Although both “spick” and “span” had existed in English for hundreds of years, the combination of “spick and span” seems to have been adopted from the Dutch version of “spick and span,” “spiksplinternieuw.”

[Squink]

The Spic and Span Company, which makes the powdered cleaner, has been around for 75 years, so the current meaning is at least that old.