Spruce is a coniferous tree of the genus Picea, the wood from such a tree and a type of beer flavoured with its needles and twigs. I knew that. It’s not the stuff in retsina, that comes from pine trees, but there is a tree known as a spruce pine.
Spruce can also mean neat or smart in appearance. I knew that too. Don’t think I’ve ever heard a person actually use the word spruce on it’s own in that way, but ‘getting spruced up‘ is a fairly common expression round these here parts.
I think the spruce looking trees in the photo are yews. It wouldn’t be a good plan to drink anything made with those.
Apparently spruce is also slang for lying, malingering, evading a duty or to practise deception. I’d be sprucing if I said I knew that before I looked it up.
Patsy Collins 