spit and polish
noun
great care in maintaining smart appearance and crisp efficiency: The commander was concerned more with spit and polish than with the company's morale.
OTHER WORDS FROM spit and polish
spit-and-polish [spit-n-pol-ish] /ˈspɪt nˈpɒl ɪʃ/, adjectiveWords nearby spit and polish
spiruroidea,
spiry,
spissatus,
spissitude,
spit,
spit and polish,
spit curl,
spit in the ocean,
spit take,
spit up,
spit-shine
Example sentences from the Web for spit and polish
He stood five-eight, and his red and gold Space Service uniform gleamed with spit-and-polish luster.
Unwise Child |Gordon Randall Garrett
British Dictionary definitions for spit and polish
spit and polish
noun
informal
punctilious attention to neatness, discipline, etc, esp in the armed forces
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]