be on (one's) mettle



be on (one's) mettle

To be determined to succeed and thus prove one's worth, often in a difficult or unpleasant situation. I know my employees think I'm too young to be their supervisor, so I have to be on my mettle every day at the office.
See also: mettle, on

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Enis-Bosnian
CadenKAY-dənEnglish (Modern)
Zalman-Yiddish
Chinasa-Western African, Igbo
Sarpedon-Greek Mythology
Lita-English