Link Centre Dictionary

spic

UK/ˈspɪk/ US/ˈspɪk/ uncommon us
adjective (1) noun (1)

adjective

1.

completely neat and clean

  • “the apartment was immaculate”
  • “in her immaculate white uniform”
  • “a spick-and-span kitchen”
  • “their spic red-visored caps”
Synonyms
Similar

noun

1.

offensive terms for persons of Latin American descent

Synonyms

Origin

First attested in this spelling in the 1910s, from earlier spig, spiggoty, spikity, generally taken to derive from a (stereotype of a) Hispanic pronunciation of "(no) speak d(e) English" (especially as used by the laborers who dug the Panama Canal). There are also later (1960s) suggestions that the term referred instead to Italians and derives from spaghetti, but there is little to back this up.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.