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
Caetlin	KAYT-lin	English (Rare)
Kalea	-	Hawaiian
GonÇAl	-	Catalan
Gennadiy	gye-NAH-dee, gee-NAH-dee	Russian
Asbury	['æzbəri]
Duha	-	Arabic