‘High on the Hog’

 

‘High on the Hog’ or ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’?

Diagram showing British cuts of pork

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

If people live ‘high on the hog’, they have sufficient funds to live comfortably or even extravagantly. The phrase originated in the USA, and is believed to refer to the cuts of meat from a pig. The best and therefore the most expensive meat comes from the loin, the chump and the upper leg or ham, the ‘high’ parts of the animal.

In the UK, the word ‘high’ has been used since the 17^th century to imply that something is outstanding or without parallel. Samuel Pepys’ diary in 1667 refers to people ‘drinking high’.

Compare this to those who are ‘keeping up with the Joneses.’ It was believed that this phrase was first made public in a comic strip of that name, by Arthur R. ‘Pop’ Momand in 1913.  It featured the upwardly mobile, social climbing McGinis family and their struggles to keep up with their neighbours, the Joneses. The cartoon strip ran for over 35 years and popularised the expression.

                                    Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

I was intrigued by the depiction of 'Aloysisus P. Mc Ginis'. There appear to be three 'faces'- one to the left,with black ovals for eyes and a large cigar, and one to the right, with a large nose, small moustache and 'teardrop' eye. The third one is  a view of the left side of the face, with a bead of sweat and glasses. 

The following, from Wikipedia, gives an alternative view:

‘The use of the name Jones to refer to metaphorical neighbors or friends in discussions of social comparison predates Momand's comic strip. In 1879, English writer E. J. Simmons wrote in Memoirs of a Station Master of the railroad station as a place for social exchange: "The Joneses, who don't associate with the Robinsons, meet there." American humorist Mark Twain made an allusion to Smith and Jones families with regard to social custom in the essay "Corn Pone Opinions", written in 1901 but first published in 1923. "The outside influences are always pouring in upon us, and we are always obeying their orders and accepting their verdicts.  The Smiths like the new play; the Joneses go to see it, and they copy the Smith verdict." Starting in 1908, D.W. Griffith directed a series of comedy shorts starring The Biograph Girl, Florence Lawrence, featuring the people next door, The Joneses.’

A different explanation suggests that the Joneses were the rich mid-19^th century New York family associated with Chemical Bank, who appeared to vie with other wealthy families in building ever grander residences. They were eventually outshone by even richer dynasties like the Astors and the Vanderbilts. 

People who try to keep up with the Joneses like to give the impression of living high on the hog, but struggle to maintain the lifestyle, frequently falling into debt and funding their extravagance through extensive use of credit cards, one of the most expensive ways of borrowing. The façade is upheld with difficulty, the followers unwilling to cut their expenses for fear of ‘losing face’, often unaware that their friends and acquaintances are fully cognisant of their problems. Indeed, they are sometimes viewed with amused pity.

Failure to keep up with the Joneses is considered by such people as being socially and culturally inferior. It is such a shallow way of life and can only lead to misery.

It is just not worth it!