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English
Pronunciation
Verb
earn one 's keep
( 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 , chapter 41, in Mary Anerley: A Yorkshire Tale :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.