"It's as clean as a whistle," my father would often say after washing the family car. I always thought the phrase referred to the purity of a whistle made with the lips. After all, what could be cleaner than the clear sound of a human whistle? (Well, maybe not a wolf whistle.)

In fact, the phrase refers to a small wind instrument played by blowing through an opening in a reed or tube. In order to produce a pure, sweet sound from such a pipe, the reed and its opening must be kept clean and dry, hence, "clean as a whistle."

Another term for clean is "spick-and-span," or, as it's rendered in the household cleaning product, "Spic 'n Span." "Span" is an old term for a wood chip, and the phrase "span new" first appeared during the 1300s meaning "as new as a freshly cut wood chip." "Spick" is an old term for a spike or nail.

The two terms first paired up during the 1600s when "spick and span new" described a brand-new ship because both its nails (spicks) and its wood (spans) were new.

You might have also wondered about "clean your clock," meaning to beat someone up. Because "clean" is an old term for "vanquish" and "clock" means "face," "clean your clock" basically means to bash in somebody's face and, by extension, to defeat someone completely.

But etymologist Evan Morris suggests the phrase might have originated with railroad slang. When an engineer had to make an emergency stop, he was said to "clean the clock," that is, quickly move the needle on the speedometer down to zero.

"Such a graphic metaphor," Morris writes, "would be the perfect way to describe stopping an opponent in his tracks, and even if this is not the source of the phrase, it may have contributed to its popularization."

Intriguingly, Google's Ngram Viewer does show that "clean your clock" was first used widely in the late 1860s, when railroads were spreading rapidly, and also indicates a huge spike in usage during World War I when trains were running full throttle to help the U.S. and its Allies clean the Kaiser's clock.

Whatever its origin, "clean your clock" gave rise to the verb "clock," meaning to hit someone hard, though not necessarily in the face. "Bruno really clocked the wide receiver," a sportscaster might say. Or he might say, "he really rang his bell," which is interesting because the English word "clock" derives from the Old North French word for a bell — "cloque."

This column has all the bells and whistles!

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His new book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to WordGuy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

Photo credit: ml991 at Pixabay