英语词汇spit and polish的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

spit and polish. Military in origin, this term goes back to Victorian times, probably to the middle of the 19th century, al- though it isn’t recorded before 1895. Meticulous cleaning and smartness of appearance were demanded of sailors in the Brit- ish navy, which became known as the “Spit and Polish Navy.” Enlisted men liked it then no more than they do now and spit and polish—the application of one’s spittle as a polishing agent and much elbow grease to make an object shine—came to be a perjorative term for finicky, wasteful work in general.

词汇	spit and polish
词源	spit and polish. Military in origin, this term goes back to Victorian times, probably to the middle of the 19th century, al- though it isn’t recorded before 1895. Meticulous cleaning and smartness of appearance were demanded of sailors in the Brit- ish navy, which became known as the “Spit and Polish Navy.” Enlisted men liked it then no more than they do now and spit and polish—the application of one’s spittle as a polishing agent and much elbow grease to make an object shine—came to be a perjorative term for finicky, wasteful work in general.
随便看	the village idiot the wailing wall the way of all flesh the web of life the whiskey is all right but the meat is weak the white queen the wilderness the world doesn’t make sense so why should i paint pictures that do the world is my oyster the world-s worst playwright they never go back to pocatello they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war anymore they shall not pass thick as jesse thimblerig thin air thingamabob thingamajig thin ice thinking cap think out of the box thinks one hung the moon and stars thin red line of heroes third commandment third degree