Spick and Span

So I have always wondered what the phrase spick and span meant exactly and where it came from!?

The dictionary definition for spick and span is: Immaculately clean, spotless, Brand-new, fresh

spick: a side of bacon, a floret of lavender, a nail or spike, a thatching spar.

span: the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger, a measure of butter, a fetter or chain, a chip of wood

It's a very old phrase it was used in Sir Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives of the noble Grecians and Romanes, 1579 That's a long time ago!!

One possible understanding of the phrase is spick is a variant of spike or nail In the 16th century nails were made of iron and therefore tarnished quickly new nails then would have been associated with cleanliness. Span comes from that chips of wood have the same fresh, sharp-edged qualities

there isn't much information on this phrase online so dumb

but hope this makes sense and you find it as interesting as i did!