be worth (one's) keep

be worth (one's) keep

To warrant respect in a certain field or area, typically because one does one's job well. Any teacher who's worth his keep inspires his students. I'm confident enough to know I'm worth my keep around here. I make a lot of money for this company. If that doctor was really worth his keep, he would have caught the infection early, and we wouldn't be talking about flesh-eating bacteria right now!

See also: keep, worth

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