pay one's way
pay one's way {v. phr.}
1. To pay in cash or labor for your expenses.
He paid his way by acting as a guide.
2. To be profitable; earn as much as you cost someone; be valuable to an employer; to yield a return above expenses.
The bigger truck paid its way from the start.
We had to offer our new manager a large salary, but he was a capable man, and paid his way.
Compare: WORTH ONE'S SALT.
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Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms
