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keep up appearances

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keep up appearances
to make things look all right whether they are or not. We must keep up appearances even if it means little sacrifices here and there. Things may be unpleasant, but we will keep up appearances.
See also: appearance, keep, up
keep up appearances
to hide your personal or financial problems from other people by continuing to live and behave in the same way that you did in the past Simply keeping up appearances was stretching their resources to the limit.
See also: appearance, keep, up
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She has money enough to live very comfortably, if she only knew how to use it judiciously, and had taught her son to do the same; but she is ever straining to keep up appearances, with that despicable pride that shuns the semblance of poverty as of a shameful crime.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Bronte, Anne View in context
If you could imagine any one obtaining this power of becoming invisible, and never doing any wrong or touching what was another's, he would be thought by the lookers-on to be a most wretched idiot, although they would praise him to one another's faces, and keep up appearances with one another from a fear that they too might suffer injustice.
The Republic by Plato View in context
To keep up appearances, the Sheriff summoned the crowd to form in a circle; and after as much delay as possible the arrow was presented.
Robin Hood by McSpadden, J. Walker View in context
 
 
 
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