to pay one's footing

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

1.Ground for the foot; place for the foot to rest on; firm foundation to stand on. [1913 Webster]

In ascent, every step gained is a footing and help to the next.— Holder.[1913 Webster]

2.Standing; position; established place; basis for operation; permanent settlement; foothold. [1913 Webster]

As soon as he had obtained a footing at court, the charms of his manner . . . made him a favorite.— Macaulay.[1913 Webster]

3.Relative condition; state. [1913 Webster]

Lived on a footing of equality with nobles.— Macaulay.[1913 Webster]

4.Tread; step; especially, measured tread. [1913 Webster]

Hark, I hear the footing of a man.— Shak.[1913 Webster]

5.The act of adding up a column of figures; the amount or sum total of such a column. [1913 Webster]

6.The act of putting a foot to anything; also, that which is added as a foot; as, the footing of a stocking. [1913 Webster]

7.A narrow cotton lace, without figures. [1913 Webster]

8.The finer refuse part of whale blubber, not wholly deprived of oil. --Simmonds. [1913 Webster]

9.(Arch. & Enging.) The thickened or sloping portion of a wall, or of an embankment at its foot. [1913 Webster]

Footing course (Arch.), one of the courses of masonry at the foot of a wall, broader than the courses above.

To pay one's footing, to pay a fee on first doing anything, as working at a trade or in a shop. --Wright.

Footing beam, the tie beam of a roof. [1913 Webster]