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And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语《词汇掌故》节目。
On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language.
在本节目中，我们探讨英语中的单词和短语。
We give definitions, examples, and notes on usage.
我们给出释义，例子并对用法进行解释说明。
And sometimes we use them in conversations.
有时我们会在对话中使用它们。
Today, we talk about an expression to describe something, like a home, a vehicle, or an extremely clean object.
今天，我们谈论一个用来描述某物（比如房子、车或非常干净的物体）的短语。
The expression is spick-and-span.
这个短语是spick-and-span（崭新的；极整洁的）。
Word experts are not sure where spick-and-span came from.
词汇专家不确定spick-and-span的词源。
But they agree that the expression was first used in The Diary of Samuel Pepys in 1665: "My Lady Batten walking through the dirty lane with new spick-and-span white shoes…"
但他们一致认为，这个短语最早出现在1665年的《佩皮斯日记》中：“巴滕夫人穿着新的干净整洁的白鞋走过肮脏的小巷……”
If your shoes are so white and so clean, we can call them spick-and-span.
如果你的鞋子又白又干净，我们可以说它们spick-and-span。
We might even say they look brand spanking new.
我们甚至可以说，它们看起来像全新的一样。
If spick-and-span and brand spanking new are too long and you want to use just one word, here is a good one: immaculate.
如果“spick-and-span”和“brand spanking new”太长，而你只想用一个词，下面是一个很好的词：immaculate。
If something is immaculate, it is completely and totally clean.
如果某物是immaculate，那它就是非常干净的。
It is spotless, meaning it does not have one single imperfection, bad mark, or blemish.
它是一尘不染的，意思是它没有任何瑕疵。
Our living spaces as well as our appearance and our clothes can be called immaculate.
我们的生活空间、我们的外表和我们的衣服都可以被称为完美无瑕。
However, spick-and-span is commonly used to describe spaces.
然而，spick-and-span通常用来描述空间。
And an American company even smartly named their cleaning product Spic and Span.
一家美国公司甚至巧妙地将他们的清洁产品命名为Spic and Span。
That is "spic" without the letter "k."
“spic”没有字母“k”。
As far as usage, spick-and-span, immaculate, and spotless can be used in any situation.
就用法而言，在任何情况下都可以使用spick-and-span、immaculate和spotless。
Brand spanking new is a bit more casual.
Brand spanking new更随意一些。
Now, let's hear the expression spick-and-span used in a couple of examples.
现在，我们来听几个使用短语“spick-and-span”的例子。
After the birthday party, my house was a disaster.
生日派对过后，我的房子一团糟。
So, I spent hours cleaning it, and by the end of the day, it was spick-and-span.
所以，我花了几个小时打扫房子，一天结束时，它又干净又整洁。
You couldn't even tell there had been a party!
你甚至都看不出来这里举办过派对！
My co-worker wants everything to be immaculate.
我的同事希望一切都完美无缺。
Even if I think the office is spick-and-span, she will still find something else to clean.
即使我觉得办公室干净整洁，她还是会找到别的地方打扫。
And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
以上就是本期《词汇掌故》节目的全部内容。
Practice using the expression spick-and-span the next time you want to describe something very clean.
下次当你想描述非常干净的东西时，练习使用spick-and-span这个短语。
Until next time … I'm Anna Matteo.
下次见……我是安娜·马特奥。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
