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
Iulian	-	Romanian
Nairyosangha	-	Persian Mythology
Tadala	tah-DAH-lah	Southern African, Chewa
Osbourne	AHZ-born	English (Rare)
Amaya	-	Basque, Spanish
Winnifred	WIN-i-frid	Welsh, English