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spit and polish


spit and polish

noun

Definition of SPIT AND POLISH

: extreme attention to cleanliness, orderliness, smartness of appearance, and ceremony often at the expense of operational efficiency
spit–and–polish adjective

Examples of SPIT AND POLISH

  1. All the car needs is some spit and polish.

Origin of SPIT AND POLISH

from the practice of polishing objects such as shoes by spitting on them and then rubbing them with a cloth
First Known Use: 1895

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