earn

earn a crust

To do work of any kind for a living; to earn money by some means. No, working in a canning factory isn't exactly glamorous, but we've all got to earn a crust somehow.

earn (one's) crust

To do work of any kind for a living; to earn money by some means. No, working in a canning factory isn't exactly glamorous, but I've got to earn my crust somehow. I hear Janet is earning her crust with an investment firm in Tokyo now.

earn an honest buck

To earn money in an honest, legal manner. Primarily heard in US. After 10 years working for the mob, Jeremy was ready to finally start earning an honest buck.

earn a living

To make money in order to support oneself financially. If you quit your job at the hospital, how on earth will you earn a living? Right now, I have to work three jobs just to earn a living.

earn (one's) wings

To prove one's merit and skill. I never thought much of Stu, but he really earned his wings this week with how well he handled the merger.

a penny saved is a penny earned

Every small amount helps to build one's savings (i.e. by saving a penny, you have one more penny). I'm trying not to spend much money right now because, you know what they say, a penny saved is a penny earned.

earn one's keep

to help out with chores in return for food and a place to live; to earn one's pay by doing what is expected. I earn my keep at college by shoveling snow in the winter. Tom hardly earns his keep around here. He should be fired.

earn one's spurs

Fig. to prove oneself. After that rodeo, all the cowboys agreed that Sally had earned her spurs. He felt that he had earned his spurs when he received his Ph.D.

penny saved is a penny earned

Prov. Money that you save is more valuable than money that you spend right away.; It is good to save money. Now that you have your first job, you ought to open a savings account. A penny saved is a penny earned. Mary worked hard to save money; she knew that a penny saved is a penny earned.

earn your stripes

to do something to show that you deserve a particular rank or position She earned her stripes as a local reporter before becoming a foreign correspondent.

Etymology: based on the idea that soldiers wear stripes (strips of material sewn onto a uniform that show rank)

earn/get brownie points

(informal)

to get praise or approval for something you have done I thought I might get some brownie points by helping to organize the party.

earn your stripes

to do something to show that you deserve a particular rank or position and have the skills needed for it She earned her stripes as a junior reporter before becoming education correspondent.

See earn brownie points, earn spurs

A penny saved is a penny earned.

something that you say which means it is wise to save money I'd advise anyone to put aside a proportion of their earnings - a penny saved is a penny earned.

earn/win your spurs

to do something to show that you deserve a particular position and have the skills needed for it He won his political spurs fighting hospital closures during his time as a local councillor in Bristol.

earn one's keep

Also, be worth one's keep or salt . Work well enough to deserve what one is paid, as in Get a job-it's time you earned your keep, or With that batting average he's not worth his salt. The keep in this phrase refers to "room and board," which in former times sometimes constituted the only reward for working (on a farm, in a home, etc.). The salt stands for "salary" and alludes to the ancient Roman practice of paying soldiers an allowance to buy salt. [First half of 1800s]

earn one's stripes

Gain a position through hard work and accumulated experience. For example, She'd earned her stripes by serving for years as the governor's secretary and personal aide . This expression alludes to a military promotion or award, indicated by strips of chevron or braid added to the recipient's uniform and known as stripes since the early 1800s.

penny saved is a penny earned, a

What one does not spend, one will have. This maxim for thrift is so familiar that it often appears in shortened form, as in Although they can afford to buy a house right now, they're putting it off, on the principle of "a penny saved." It appeared in slightly different form in George Herbert's Outlandish Proverbs (1640). Whether or not it originally suggested that savings earn interest is not known.

earn (one's)

spurs/stripes

To gain a position through hard work and the accumulation of experience, often in the face of difficulties.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Symeon	-	Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin
Branson	BRAN-sən	English (Modern)
Ethne	-	Irish
Neo (1)	-	Southern African, Tswana
RogÉRio	roo-ZHE-ryoo	Portuguese
Ioram	-	Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek