Earn One's Keep Idiom American Expressions and American Idioms

This database is a comprehensive collection of all the American idioms and slang available. American Idioms are many and varied. We hope you enjoy our collection. We are adding more all the time. .

earn one's keep What does earn one's keep mean?	to earn one's pay or a place to live by doing some work	I work hard in my uncle's garden in order to earn my keep when I stay with him.
	Some Random Idioms
make a cold call What does "make a cold call" mean?	to visit or telephone a potential but unknown customer from a list of people	When he first started to work at his company the salesman was asked to make cold calls from the telephone book.

bitten by (some kind of) bug What does "bitten by (some kind of) bug" mean?	to become interested and excited about a particular activity and want to start doing it	The man has been bitten by a gold bug and he only thinks about gold.
set the world on fire What does "set the world on fire" mean?	to do something outstanding, to do something that makes one famous	The author has not been able to set the world on fire with his writing but he is trying very hard.
fall/get into the wrong hands What does "fall/get into the wrong hands" mean?	something secret/dangerous is discovered by someone who may use it in a way that harms people	The government is being very careful that the new weapons do not fall into the wrong hands.
burn the midnight oil What does "burn the midnight oil" mean?	to study until very late at night	We burned the midnight oil for three nights in order to study for the exam.
pot What does "pot" mean?	marijuana
legal age What does "legal age" mean?	the age when a person can do things such as buy cigarettes or when they are responsible for their actions	The young men were not of legal age and were unable to buy any cigarettes.

quickie What does "quickie" mean?	sexual relations done quickly
tired out What does "tired out" mean?	to be very tired	My father was tired out after working hard all day.
Child's play What does "Child's play" mean?	If something is child's play, it is very easy and simple.
by the week What does "by the week" mean?	one week at a time	We rented the car by the week.
hold back What does "hold back" mean?	stay back or away, show unwillingness to do something	He always holds back during meetings and never says anything.

American Idioms and Expressions

Earn One's Keep Idiom