English

Verb

earn one's keep

1. (idiomatic) To perform satisfactory physical labor or to provide other worthy services in return for remuneration, lodging, or other benefits; to support oneself financially.
   • 1880, R. D. Blackmore, Mary Anerley: A Yorkshire Tale, ch. 41:

     Being a very strong, active man, with gift of versatile hand and brain, and early acquaintance with handicrafts, Christopher Bert could earn his keep.

   • 2005 July 1, Alan Riding, "A Curvy Klee Museum, Sprouting From the Swiss Hills," New York Times (retrieved 9 Mar 2009):

     Klee also left home to make his name, moving in his late teens to Munich, where he studied art, earned his keep as a musician and, in 1906, married Lily Stumpf.