{
  "id": "holding-it-together.upkeep",
  "term": "holding it together",
  "sense": "upkeep",
  "pos": "noun",
  "status": "review",
  "level": 15,
  "arena": "emergence",
  "domain": "everyday phrase",
  "style": "folk",
  "definition": "Work that holds the parameters of a thing inside its window when drift is already pressing on multiple boundaries, and the only thing preventing collapse is ongoing effort that does not fix the underlying strain.",
  "folk_gloss": "keeping something from falling apart or breaking down",
  "emergence": {
    "components": [
      "work.effort",
      "window.range",
      "drift.aimless",
      "boundary.limit",
      "maintenance.upkeep",
      "strain.measurable-degradation"
    ],
    "interaction": "maintenance",
    "novel_properties": [
      "invisible maintenance"
    ]
  },
  "examples": [
    {
      "text": "The International Space Station requires weekly reboosts to counter atmospheric drag and avoid orbital decay.",
      "domain": "engineering"
    },
    {
      "text": "Puerto Rico's power grid operated for years on emergency repairs after Hurricane Maria, with frequent blackouts.",
      "domain": "institutions"
    },
    {
      "text": "A septic tank in rural Maine is pumped every three years to prevent overflow, though the drain field is failing.",
      "domain": "everyday life"
    }
  ],
  "relations": [],
  "used_by": [
    "duct-tape.upkeep"
  ],
  "forms": [
    "hold it together",
    "holding it together"
  ],
  "closed": false,
  "provenance": {
    "author": "phrases:qwen/qwen3-235b-a22b-2507",
    "date": "2026-07-29",
    "confidence": 0.7,
    "sources": [
      "folk phrase — invisible maintenance"
    ]
  },
  "canonical": "https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-holding-it-together.upkeep"
}