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What's "I'm earning my keep" mean here?
Here's the lines from Bety in MadMen: I'm pretty sure Doctor Wayne tried to look down my neckline the other day. He sits behind me. And as far as I'm concerned, as long as men look at me that way,I'm earning my keep."
What's "earning my keep" mean here? Is it an expression in common use?
Many thanks.
Aug 13, 2012 6:11 AM
Answers · 3
she found a good thing ..
August 13, 2012
It means that she's happy that men find her attractive.
August 13, 2012
"Your keep" is the reason to keep you. When we say "earn (his/her/my/etc) keep", it means we provide a reason to be kept.
Yes, it is quite a common expression. Betty's meaning is that the reason she is valuable (keepable) is that she is still attractive, and she should do her best to maintain the attractiveness.
Pretty vacuous, hey? :)
August 13, 2012
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bright_ld
Language Skills
Chinese (Cantonese), English
Learning Language
English
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