spruce up

spruce up

To make someone, something, or oneself more tidy, refined, elegant, or stylish. A noun or pronoun can be used between "spruce" and "up." I think it's time to spruce the house up a bit—it feels a little outdated and disheveled. You don't look so good! You'd better go spruce yourself up in the bathroom before you go up to give your speech. He's spent the whole summer sprucing up his grandfather's old Camaro.
See also: spruce, up
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

spruce someone or something up

 
1. Lit. to tidy up and groom someone or something. Laura's mother took a few minutes to spruce her daughter up for the party. She spruced up her room each day.
2. Fig. to refurbish or renew someone or something. Do you think we should spruce this room up a little? Yes, let's spruce up this room with new furniture and drapes.
See also: spruce, up
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

spruce up

Make neat and trim, as in She spruced up the chairs with new cushions. This idiom originated in the late 1500s as simply spruce but had acquired up by 1676.
See also: spruce, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

spruce up

v.
To make someone or something neat, elegant, and stylish in appearance: The new curtains will certainly spruce up this drab room. She spruced herself up and went out to dinner.
See also: spruce, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • not do (someone or oneself) any favors
  • identify with
  • orient
  • orient to
  • orient to (something)
  • spiff up
  • spiffed up
  • buy (yourself) time
  • buy time
  • arrange for
References in periodicals archive
A group of residents in tower blocks in Hillfields went out with bags, a barrow and litter pickers to spruce up their area and set new and higher standards of cleanliness.
Children taking part in Coventry City Council's ActiveZone programme of summer activities were joined by parents and local residents to spruce up the park.
KEEP COVENTRY CLEAN CAMPAIGN: Clean-up schemes prove a sweeping success
As we have seen through our Go Green campaign, there have been many organised clean-ups where the community comes together to spruce up the places they live and visit.
No excuse for litter; COMMENT
Other spruce ups include upgraded passenger information screens, new seat covers and a 'deep clean' of the interior.
Cross City Line trains are being given a big revamp - this is how; And those grimy green seat covers are FINALLY going!
He described the event - offering free spruce ups, a chat, and some grub, on Sunday - as "a God send".
The four hours and the selfless team that put a smile on the faces of 50 homeless Middlesbrough folk; Local businessman Michael Harvey teamed up with Lee Carr, from Kutz barbers, in Linthorpe Road, on Sunday, and this is how it went