speck and spanadj.
= spick and span adj.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > it was a fine sight [phrase]
speck and span1615
(as) neat (also clean) as a (new) pin1769
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > [adjective] > clean and tidy
smug1598
polite1602
tidy1706
tosh1776
tidy-looking1825
speck and span1840
spick and span1846
toshy1856
spick1882
1615 T. Tomkis Albumazar ii. ii. sig. D2v Of a starke Clowne I shall appeare speck and span Gentleman.
1767 ‘Coriat Junior’ Another Traveller! I. 48 I became desirous of seeing one of the last speck-and-span new things.
1840 W. M. Thackeray Paris Sketch Bk. I. 51 No man stepped out so speck and span..as Major British.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
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adj.1615- soon
- soon and safe
- soon as
- soon as possibly
- soon or syne
- soon ripe, soon rotten
- soon so
- soon-arriving
- soon-believing
- soon-choked
- soon-clad
- soon-come
- soon-coming
- soon-contented
- soon-descending
- soon-dropped
- soon-drying
- soon-finished
- soon-forgotten
- soon-to-be
- soonarriving
- soonbelieving
- soonchoked
- soonclad
- sooncome