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jones
Davy Jones's locker
the bottom of the sea, especially when it is a grave. They were going to sail around the world, but ended up in Davy Jones's locker. Most of the gold from that trading ship is in Davy Jones's locker.
keep someone up
1. Lit. to hold someone upright. Try to keep him up until I can get his bed made. Keep her up for a few minutes longer.
2. Fig. to prevent someone from going to bed or going to sleep. I'm sorry, was my trumpet keeping you up? The noise kept us up.
keep something up
1. Lit. to hold or prop something up. Keep your side of the trunk up. Don't let it sag. Keep up your side of the trunk.
2. Fig. to continue doing something. I love your singing. Don't stop. Keep it up. Please keep up your singing.
3. Fig. to maintain something in good order. I'm glad you keep the exterior of your house up. You keep up your house nicely.
keep up
(with someone or something) 1. Lit. to advance at the same rate as someone or something; to be just as productive as someone or something. Don't work so fast. I can't keep up with you. You're running so fast that I cannot keep up with you. I don't make enough money to keep up with your spending.
2. Fig. to pay attention to the news about someone or something. I don't see the Smiths a lot since they moved, but I keep up with them by phone. I try to keep up with current events.
keep up with the Joneses
Fig. to try to match the lifestyle of one's neighbors. I am tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses. Let's just move if we can't afford to live here. We never try to keep up with the Joneses.
keep up with the Joneses
to have all the same things as other people to avoid looking poor or old-fashioned In this neighborhood, keeping up with the Joneses has become an art form.
keep up (with somebody/something)
1. to stay level or equal with someone or something I'm too old or too tired and I just can't keep up. The little boy tried very hard to keep up with his older brother's accomplishments.
2. to move as quickly as someone else I have short legs, and I almost had to run to keep up.
keep somebody up
also keep up somebody to cause someone to stay awake I hope I'm not keeping you up. You're making so much noise, you're going to keep up the whole neighborhood!
keep up something
also keep something up to continue to do or have something Keep up the good work. Even though he lost his job, they managed to keep up an expensive lifestyle. I have a great relationship with my children now, and I'm doing my best to keep that up.
Davy Jones's locker
(humorous) the bottom of the sea No one knows how many wrecked ships there are in Davy Jones's locker.
keep up with the Joneses
to try to own all the same things as people you know in order to seem as good as them Her only concern in life was keeping up with the Joneses.
Davy Jones's locker
Also, Davy's locker. The bottom of the sea, especially the grave of those who die at sea. For example, Caught out at sea during the hurricane, they thought they were heading for Davy Jones's locker . This term, first recorded in 1726, alludes to Davy Jones, a name given to the evil spirit of the sea. The ultimate origin of both Davy and Jones is disputed. A logical theory is that Jones referred to the biblical Jonah who was swallowed by a whale, and Davy was a corruption of a West Indian word for "devil."
keep up
1. Also,
keep up with. Proceed at the same pace, continue alongside another, as in
We try to keep up with the times. [First half of 1600s] This usage, also put as
keep pace, appears in the phrase
keeping up with the Joneses, which was coined in 1913 by cartoonist Arthur R. Momand for the title of a series in the
New York Globe. It means "trying to match the lifestyle of one's more affluent neighbors or acquaintances." For example,
Their buying a new van is just another attempt to keep up with the Joneses.
2. Support, sustain, as in
They're trying to keep up their spirits while they wait for news of the crash. [Late 1600s] Also see
keep one's chin up.
3. Maintain in good condition, as in Joan really kept up the property. [Mid-1500s] This usage also appears in the idiom keep up appearances, meaning "to maintain a good front, make things look good even if they're not," as in She was devastated by his bad prognosis but is trying hard to keep up appearances for their children . [Mid-1700s]
4. Persevere, carry on, prolong, as in
Keep up the good work, or
How long will this noise keep up? [Early 1500s] Also see
keep it up.
5. Also, keep up with; keep up on. Stay in touch, remain informed. For example, Ann and I haven't seen each other since college, but we keep up through our annual Christmas letters , or We subscribe to three papers so as to keep up on current events. [c. 1900]
6. keep someone up. Cause someone to remain out of bed, as in He's keeping up the children beyond their bedtime. [Mid-1700s]
keep up
v.1. To preserve or sustain something: We kept up the appearance of friendship even though we were mad at each other. The couple kept appearances up even though they had separated.
2. To maintain something in good condition: He did a good job of keeping up the property. The community kept up the old church.
3. To persevere in doing something; carry on doing something: I asked her to stop yelling, but she kept it up. Keep up the good work!
4. To continue at a steady level or pace, especially a significant level or pace: The snow kept up all day.
5. To maintain a value or level equal to that of something, even as that value or level increases: The number of new TVs that arrived didn't keep up with the demand. The scarcity of available land keeps up the demand for it.
6. To match some competitor or perceived competitor: I kept up with the leader of the race until the very end, and so I came in second place.
7. To cause someone to remain awake: The noise from the construction site kept me up all night.
8. keep up on To remain adequately informed: He loved to keep up on the gossip by reading the tabloids.
jones
1. n. a thing; a problem. (A generic name for an unknown person or thing.) This get-rich-quick jones will land you in the joint, Lefty.
2. n. a drug habit; drug addiction. (see also
skag jones.)
That jones is really riding that guy. 3. n. a desire for someone or something; a craving. He has a real jones for chocolate.
4. tv. to crave something. He’s jonesing chocolate pretty bad.
skag jones
and scag jones n. an addiction to heroin. (Drugs. Here jones is a “thing” = craving.) She has a serious skag jones.
scag jones
verbkeeping up with the Joneses
Making an effort to match your neighbors' social and financial status. If you bought a Chevrolet, but the guy who lived across the street bought a Cadillac, you wouldn't, vehicularly speaking, be considered in the same league. But if he took his wife and kids to Europe for a month and you took your wife and kids to Europe for a month, you were keeping up with the Joneses, no matter what your neighbor's last name was. The phrase came from a 1913 newspaper carton strip “Keep with the Joneses,” the name being as ubiquitous a last name as “Joe” was in phrases that used that first name. (See also
status seeker.)