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british english - Etymology of 'slap-up'


Apparently this is a peculiarly British term, but we'll sometimes use the phrase 'slap-up' to mean 'excellent', as in:



That's a slap-up meal!



or



They held a slap-up do.



What's the origin of the term slap-up? Nothing obvious comes to mind.



Answer



This comes originally from a Dickens novel (he probably used a common expression of the time). He used the expression "Slap-bang" to indicate a cheap meal. Apparently it was "Slap-bang" because people would "bang" the money down for the meal.


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