keep up appearances

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keep up appearances (third-person singular simple present keeps up appearances, present participle keeping up appearances, simple past and past participle kept up appearances)

1. (idiomatic) To pretend to be all right or that everything is going well; to maintain an appearance of wealth, comfort, or propriety.

   For my father's sake, I thought I must keep up appearances, but the food stuck in my throat, and I could not swallow another mouthful.

   With tact and management it would be possible to partially satisfy creditors, and keep up appearances for six months more.

• maintain appearances
• save appearances

• save face