A poor man was selling goods door to door to pay his way through medical school
What does "to pay his way through" mean here? Is it an idiom?
-
"To pay your way" means to earn enough money to pay for something by instalments (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) In your example, the man was working to pay for his medical education, probably on a term-by-term basis. You can also "work your way" by offering your labour in lieu of payment.– MickCommented Dec 10, 2016 at 18:14
-
why he used the word through medical school ??– RAJA RAMCommented Dec 10, 2016 at 18:21
-
Good point. Because he had to make regular payments, from start to finish. I'm not sure if through is the only preposition that can be used with this idiom. It possibly is.– MickCommented Dec 10, 2016 at 18:29
-
@Mick can you clarify me why through is used there– RAJA RAMCommented Dec 10, 2016 at 18:32
-
1It is the only preposition that will fit. Through means "from one end or side of something to the other".– MickCommented Dec 10, 2016 at 18:38
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
to pay his way through
To pay: to fund/support
His way: his undertaking/endeavour
Through: for the duration of
I suppose you could call it an idiom.
-
1thanks for your clear and detailed explanation.Once again Thanks a lot– RAJA RAMCommented Dec 11, 2016 at 19:31