1570-80; short for spick-and-span-new, alliterative extension of span-new
British Dictionary definitions for spick and span
spick-and-span
/ˈspɪkənˈspæn/
adjective
1.
extremely neat and clean
2.
new and fresh
Word Origin
C17: shortened from spick-and-span-new, from obsolete spick spike, nail + span-new
Idioms and Phrases with spick and span
spick and span
Neat and clean, as in When Ruth has finished cleaning, the whole house is spick and span. This term combines two nouns that are now obsolete, spick, “a nail” or “spike,” and span, “a wooden chip.” In the 1500s a sailing ship was considered spick and span when every spike and chip was brand-new. The transfer to the current sense took place in the mid-1800s.