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Why do we say "Keep Up With The Joneses"?

Well-Known Expressions

Keep Up With The Joneses

Meaning:

Try to live up to the standard of your acquaintances. Usually there is also an implication that in doing so the person is stretching their financial resources.

Background:

Between 1913 and 1931 Arthur R Momand created a comic strip titled 'Keeping Up With The Joneses'. It ran in many USA newspapers. The comic strip was based on his own experiences as a newly married man living on $125 a week in Cedarhurst, New York.

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