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sing for one's supper

Work for one's pay or reward, as in Entertaining visiting scientists is part of the job; you know I have to sing for my supper. This metaphoric term alludes to wandering minstrels who performed in taverns and were paid with a meal. First recorded in 1609, it gained currency with the familiar nursery rhyme, “Little Tommy Tucker, sings for his supper” (c. 1744).

Content related to sing for one's supper

Supper vs. DinnerIn parts of the US, supper and dinner are used interchangeably to refer to the evening meal, but elsewhere dinner is the midday meal, akin to lunch, and supper, the evening meal. What do these words really mean? The word dinner does not necessarily imply the time of day. Depending on where you are, it may mean the midday meal or the evening meal, but it …
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Kids Sing The Darndest ThingsRemember when you finally learned that the Red Hot Chili Peppers weren't singing “with a butter shed this lonely view” but “with the bird I’ll share this lonely view”? Right?! We do, too. Misheard utterances (usually in the form of song lyrics) are called mondegreens and we’ve got a whole article explaining how they work. Hearing things incorrectly starts pretty much the moment you have ears. Children’s misheard lyrics are especially cute because kids are so ridiculously innocent—even if what they mishear sometimes isn’t! Take a look.
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Words nearby sing for one's supper

sinfonietta, sinful, sing, sing a different tune, sing along, sing for one's supper, sing out, sing sing, sing someone's praises, sing-along, sing.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.