To pull one's weight

To pull one's weight
 

Hi all,

I was wondering the meaning of this phrase, as per my understanding I think it means something like: "to do what one's supposed to do" or "to fulfill others' expectation", but I'm not sure.
Is it commonly used? Would it be understood by any english speaker?
Are there any other phrases to say the same idea?

Thanks in advance.

Regards. :)

It is commonly used, and I'm fairly certain that all English speakers would know it.

The idea is that if there is a communal task to do, then each person must put in an appropriate effort to help everybody else:

to pull one's weight: everyone will have to pull their weight cada uno tendrá que poner de su parte para sacar el trabajo adelante; John isn't pulling his weight John no trabaja como debería; :)

Thanks a lot Perikles,

I wasn't sure of saying that since I thought just a few ones would understand it and that's not what I want (sometimes it happens with elaborated phrases in spanish).

Saludos.

You are welcome. :)

Thanks again for pointing out my mistakes, it helps me a lot. :)

De nada. Puedes corregir mi español también. A propósito - Spanish, not spanish:yuck:. :)