to pay one's dues
1pay one's dues — ► pay one s dues fulfil one s obligations. Main Entry: ↑due …
2pay one’s dues — tv. to serve one’s time in a menial role. (See also pay one’s dues (to society).) □ I spent some time as a bus boy, so I’ve paid my dues in the serving business. □ You have to start out at the bottom. Pay your dues, and then you’ll appreciate… …
3pay one's dues — phrasal 1. : to experience life s hardships : earn a right or position through experience, suffering, or hard work 2. : to suffer the consequences of or penalty for an act * * * pay one s dues (informal) To work hard and suffer hardship before… …
4pay one's dues — idi pay one s dues, to earn respect by working hard and accumulating experience …
5pay one's dues — verb a) To outlay money which is owed as a membership fee or price of admission. The carrier to Casterbridge came up as Edward stepped into the road, and jumped down from the van to pay toll. . . . The carrier paid his dues. b) To acquire …
6pay one's dues — phrasal 1. to earn a right or position through experience, suffering, or hard work 2. (also pay dues) pay intransitive verb 3 …
7pay one’s dues to society — tv. to serve a prison or jail sentence. □ I served ten years in prison. I’ve paid my dues to society. The matter is settled. □ I took my medicine and paid my dues. Stop trying to punish me more …
8pay one's dues — fulfil one s obligations. → due …
9pay — [n] earnings from employment allowance, bacon*, bread*, commission, compensation, consideration, defrayment, emoluments, fee, hire*, honorarium, income, indemnity, meed, payment, perquisite, pittance, proceeds, profit, reckoning, recompensation,… …
10dues — fee for membership, 1660s, from plural of DUE (Cf. due). To pay (one s) dues in the figurative sense is from 1943. Giue them their due though they were diuels [1589] …
