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
ThÉOphile	te-o-FEEL	French
Martirio	mahr-TEE-ryo	Spanish
Alphonsine	al-fawn-SEEN	French
Bertrand	ber-TRAWN (French), BUR-trənd (English)	French, English, Ancient Germanic
Finnr	-	Ancient Scandinavian
Naldo	-	Italian