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.

Name	Pronounced	Usage
CÔNg	-	Vietnamese
Nico	NEE-ko (Italian, Dutch, Spanish)	Italian, Dutch, German, Spanish, Portuguese
Lelio	-	Italian
&Aelig;Bbe	-	Anglo-Saxon
Donn	[dɔn]
Gilad	-	Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew