win one's spurs

Gain a position or attain distinction through hard work or some special accomplishment. For example, After two years of freelancing, she won her spurs as a programmer and was hired for the top job . This expression originally alluded to being knighted for some act of bravery and was being used figuratively by the mid-1500s.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Kobe (1)	-	Dutch
Mercedes	['mə:sidi:z]
Gionata	jo-NAH-tah	Italian
Filippa	fee-LIP-pah (Swedish)	Russian, Greek, Swedish, Italian
Jozefina	-	Croatian
Rien (2)	REEN	Dutch