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
build up (someone or something) or build (someone or something) up What does "build up (someone or something) or build (someone or something) up" mean?	to make someone or something bigger or stronger, to promote someone or something	The woman is always trying to build up her boss.
Woe betide you What does "Woe betide you" mean?	This is used to wish that bad things will happen to someone, usually because of their bad behaviour.
get under (someone`s) skin What does "get under (someone`s) skin" mean?	bother/irritate someone	She is beginning to get under my skin with her constant complaining about the noise.
quick buck What does "quick buck" mean?	profit rapidly and readily earned
caught with one's hand in the cookie jar What does "caught with one's hand in the cookie jar" mean?	to be caught doing something wrong or illegal	The woman was caught with her hand in the cookie jar when we saw her stealing office supplies.
stud What does "stud" mean?	male seen as successful with or appealing to women
bottle (something) up or bottle up (something) What does "bottle (something) up or bottle up (something)" mean?	to hold one's feelings inside of you	My aunt bottles up her feelings and has much stress because of it.

speak off the cuff What does "speak off the cuff" mean?	to speak in public without preparation	My father plans to speak off the cuff at his retirement party tonight.
go back to square one What does "go back to square one" mean?	to go back to the beginning	The meeting was a failure and we were forced to go back to square one.
hit the jackpot What does "hit the jackpot" mean?	be very lucky or successful	She hit the jackpot when she bought a lottery ticket last week.
swallow (something) hook, line, and sinker What does "swallow (something) hook, line, and sinker" mean?	to believe something completely	I swallowed everything hook, line, and sinker when my friend told me the story about how he lost his car keys.
force someone's hand What does "force someone's hand" mean?	make someone do something that they don't want to do at that time	make someone do something that they don't want to do at that timeThe man threatened to quit his job so the company decided to force his hand and make him either continue or quit.
promise (someone) the moon What does "promise (someone) the moon" mean?	to promise something that is impossible	Before the election the politicians promised everybody the moon but after they were elected they began to talk differently.

American Idioms and Expressions

Earn One's Keep Idiom