pay (your) dues

to earn respect because you worked hard to develop a skill.

She paid her dues playing in small clubs in New York before an album made her famous.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of dues (= money paid to belong to an organization)

• a play on words
• a poacher turned gamekeeper
• a poisoned chalice
• a poison-pen letter
• a political football
• a poor man's
• a poor man's someone
• a poor man's something
• a poor relation
• a port of call
• a powder keg
• apple of eye
• apple of someone's eye
• apple of your eye
• apples and oranges
• a pretty kettle of fish
• a prima donna
• a prime mover
• a priori
• a prophet of doom
• a pub crawl
• a put-up job
• a Pyrrhic victory
• a quantum leap
• a queer fish