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shipshape

adjective /ˈʃɪpʃeɪp/

  1. Meticulously neat and tidy.

    SHIP-shape, in a seaman-like manner; as "That mast is not rigged ship-shape;" "Put her about ship-shape," &c.

Where it comes from

From ship + shapen (“shaped; wrought with a definite shape”), later shortened to shape. The word is of nautical origin, based on the obligation of a sailor to keep his or her quarters arranged neatly and securely due to the limited space typically allotted to service members aboard ship, and against turbulence at sea.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry shipshape (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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