🏡 Keeping Up with the Joneses
Attempting to maintain the appearance of wealth similar to one’s neighbors or acquaintances.
Ah, the relentless pursuit to match your neighbor’s shiny new car, pristine lawn, and impeccable taste in garden gnomes. “Keeping up with the Joneses” encapsulates this societal tendency to upgrade, imitate, and one-up. It’s a dance as old as suburbia itself and sometimes just as awkward.
Origin: The phrase was coined by Arthur R. “Pop” Momand, a cartoonist. His series “Keeping Up with the Joneses” premiered in the New York Globe in 1913, capturing the trials and tribulations of a young couple trying to keep pace with their affluent neighbors.
Similar Expressions and Related Terms
- Keeping up with the Smiths: A variation of the same struggle.
- Keeping up with the Kardashians: Modern-day equivalent with a touch more glam and cameras!
- Joneses Syndrome: Feeling compelled to acquire wealth, goods, or status because of comparison to others.
Proverbs and Sayings
- “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”
Tricks you into thinking your neighbor’s roses always bloom bigger.
- “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Emphasizes how comparison can spoil your happiness—a wise nugget from Teddy Roosevelt.
- “To each their own.”
A gentle reminder that everyone has their own taste and lifestyle.
Synonyms
- Emulation
- Social mimicry
- Status chasing
- Social rivalry
Antonyms
- Contentment
- Satisfaction
- Nonconformity
Humor-Filled Quotes
- “Trying to keep up with the Joneses is exhausting. I’d rather keep hanging out with the Flintstones.”
- “Why keep up with the Joneses? They’re tapped out trying to keep up with the Kardashians.”
Literature, Books, Songs, Poetry, Movies
- Books: “The Sociopath Next Door” by Martha Stout
Explores the darker side of keeping up appearances.
- Songs: “Status Quo” by Fountains of Wayne
Captures the essence of modern suburban life.
- Movies: “The Joneses” (2009)
A film that dramatizes a family intent on influencing their suburban neighbors through conspicuous consumption.
Quizzes 🍀
Which of these is a related expression to “Keeping up with the Joneses”?
- The grass is always greener on the other side.
- Striking while the iron is hot.
- Burning the midnight oil.
- Making hay while the sun shines.
Explanation: The phrase “The grass is always greener on the other side” reflects the comparison and dissatisfaction inherent in “Keeping up with the Joneses.”
What does “Keeping up with the Kardashians” primarily emphasize?
- Mirror the ancient Greek legends.
- Modern emulation of celebrity lifestyles.
- Practice classical Shakespearean drama.
- Carve pumpkins creatively.
Explanation: “Keeping up with the Kardashians” brings a modern, celebrity-infused twist to the concept of emulating lifestyles.
True or False: “Keeping up with the Joneses” is about contentment and finding joy within one’s own achievements.
- True
- False
Explanation: False. This idiom is about the sometimes exhausting and often foolish attempt to match the perceived socioeconomic status of one’s neighbors.
👋 Thank you for diving into the world of idioms, clichés, and expressions. Remember, while it’s fun to explore and even laugh at our societal quirks, real happiness is found within you—not behind the Joneses’ picket fence!
Until next time, Eleanor Phrasecraft Jr.
