earned one's keep
Justified one's presence
To earn one's keep is to contribute enough to justify the resources one consumes—originally room and board, now any investment of money, time, or attention.
A farmhand earns his keep through labor; a kitchen gadget earns its keep by getting regular use.
That coffee maker has certainly earned its keep over the years.
The phrase implies pulling one's weight rather than being a burden.
- effortApplied energy toward goals
- laborStrenuous effort; also childbirth
- pulling one's weightDoing your fair share
- dutyRequired moral task
- self-relianceDepending on oneself alone
hard day's work · contribution · fair share · responsibility · chipping in · productivity · resourcefulness · accountability · skin in the game · obligation · give-and-take · mutuality · paying one's dues · output · achievement · barter · room and board · bread and butter