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
Illtyd-Welsh
Cam (2)KAMEnglish
Lilibeth-English
Ida['aidə]
Kepa-Basque
Compton['kɔmptən]