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Reader question: Please explain “earn their keep” in this sentence: “It’s written in the Holy Bible one must earn their keep in order to eat.” My comments: In other words, one must earn one’s living. I am not sure if it’s written in the Bible, which I read for language purposes, and being non-religious, I usually keep clear of anybody’s holy business but generally speaking it is perfectly correct to say that one must earn their keep in order to eat. Everyone, that is, no matter who – no matter who they are, high or low. Earn one’s keep means one must work to make a living instead of being a parasite. We almost always see “keep” as a verb, and that’s perhaps the reason why “earn their keep” sounds weird to the foreign language learner’s ear. Understand “keep” in “earn their keep” as what keeps one alive, and you’ll be alright. Understand “keep” as what keeps us fed and clothed. This expression is often used when people want to urge others to work hard and make an active contribution to justify their food and drink, especially when we are talking about physical work, especially in the old days. Some Buddhists in ancient China also advocated a similar idea, that one must support themselves rather than living entirely on receiving food and tributes from society. They planted their own crops and worked daily in the field. Their motto: “Any day you don’t work is the day you don’t eat.” | 
