Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Adjective Phrase 30. The adjective phrase
today is spick-and-span. Okay. Let's take a look at the note. If someone says
something is spick and span or they want something to look
spick-and-span, they want it to be spotlessly clean almost to look as if
it were brand-new. You know, like just bought brand new. Okay. Let's continue. In
the US. a famous detergent is named Spic and Span
too. So for the same idea. They named it that because you know, they're trying to
suggest that if you use that detergent things will look spick and span.
Completely clean or totally clean. Okay. Let's continue. The term originally
used to be spic and span new. Actually, you know, hundreds of years ago. The word spic
in this expression came from Dutch to mean a nail or a spike from an old Dutch
word spikesplinternew. Or you could almost see a spike like a nail. Splinter is
like wood. A wood splinter new. So like again, the idea of like a brand new ship.
In Dutch, this meant a freshly built ship of nails and timber. So it was brand new.
You know, not used yet. You know it was completely clean at that time. Probably
not for very long , but at that time it was completely new and completely clean.
Okay. The word span or span-nyr came from Old Norse. Okay. Which meant a chip
of wood. Okay. That was just carved. The two terms came together to mean
completely new, clean and spotless. Okay. Good. So you can see how it all came
together to mean completely. You know, completely clean as almost as if it were
brand new. All right. And we just have three examples to cover these here.
Number one. I want this floor looking spick and span.
Yeah. Actually I kind of heard... I remember hearing some people say this. Or
number two. After New Year cleaning, everything was spic and span. So but they
cleaned it up really well, especially in Asia. They do a New Year cleaning and
they try to clean everything up for the new year to have it. You know bright and
shiny and completely clean. Okay. Good and number three here. He
looked all spick-and-span in his brand new uniform. So sometimes we could use it
about clothes that look ... that looks so good that they look like they are just
brand new. Okay. Good. Anyway I hope you got it. I hope it was clear. Thank you for your time.
Bye-bye.