spit and polish
- great care in maintaining smart appearance and crisp efficiency: The commander was concerned more with spit and polish than with the company's morale.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
cleanliness, discipline, neatness, punctilio, regimentation, tidiness, fastidiousness, meticulousness, orderlinessExamples from the Web for spit and polish
Historical Examples
He stood five-eight, and his red and gold Space Service uniform gleamed with spit-and-polish luster.
Unwise ChildGordon Randall Garrett
spit and polish
- informal punctilious attention to neatness, discipline, etc, esp in the armed forces
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with spit and polish
spit and polish
Close attention to appearance and order, as in With a little spit and polish this house will sell very quickly. This expression originated in the military, presumably alluding to literally shining up something with the aid of a little saliva. There it also came to mean “too much attention to appearance, and not enough to more important concerns,” as in The commander is so concerned with spit and polish that he overlooks the crew's morale. [Late 1800s]
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.