hit pay dirt
to make a lucky profit
TRANSLATION
hit pay dirt = Erfolg haben, fündig werden, auf eine Goldader treffen pay dirt = eine Quelle von Erfolg oder Reichtum --- GOOGLE INDEX hit pay dirt: approximately 3,500,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Imagine you spent weeks scouring the Web digging up data for a research project, and you finally HIT PAY DIRT.
(BusinessWeek magazine)
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Automakers HIT PAY DIRT in Rural India
(New York Times, article headline)
(BusinessWeek magazine)
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Automakers HIT PAY DIRT in Rural India
(New York Times, article headline)
Did you
know?
hit pay dirt
idiom
- to achieve or discover something important or valuable
(Cambridge Dictionaries)
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The expression hit (or also strike) pay dirt is a mining term that refers to finding valuable minerals in the ground. The literal sense first appeared around 1856, which may suggest that it originated during the California God Rush days. It's also possible that it could have originated somewhere else, as there is evidence that it was used during the Australian Gold Rush in the 1820s.
In any case, the Gold Rush era produced many other expressions and words such as:
- pan out = said when something turns out well (The market strategy panned out). Stems from the pan that gold miners used to sift through the rubble to find gold.
- nugget = a small solid lump, especially of gold, or a small and compact portion or unit that is valuable (He provided me a few nuggets of information).
- flash in the pan = someone or something that enjoys temporary success and then fails (The band was just a flash in the pan). Gold miners would sometimes see something shiny in the pan that turned out not to be gold.
- shenanigans = tricks or funny business (His shenanigans got him in trouble with the police). Stems from the Gaelic word "sionnachuighim," (I play tricks) which was introduced by Irish settlers during the California Gold Rush.
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SYNONYMS
hit the jackpot, find the Mother Lode
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Scientific researchers often have to work for years before hitting pay dirt."
---
Thanks to Michael for suggesting today's word!
idiom
- to achieve or discover something important or valuable
(Cambridge Dictionaries)
---
The expression hit (or also strike) pay dirt is a mining term that refers to finding valuable minerals in the ground. The literal sense first appeared around 1856, which may suggest that it originated during the California God Rush days. It's also possible that it could have originated somewhere else, as there is evidence that it was used during the Australian Gold Rush in the 1820s.
In any case, the Gold Rush era produced many other expressions and words such as:
- pan out = said when something turns out well (The market strategy panned out). Stems from the pan that gold miners used to sift through the rubble to find gold.
- nugget = a small solid lump, especially of gold, or a small and compact portion or unit that is valuable (He provided me a few nuggets of information).
- flash in the pan = someone or something that enjoys temporary success and then fails (The band was just a flash in the pan). Gold miners would sometimes see something shiny in the pan that turned out not to be gold.
- shenanigans = tricks or funny business (His shenanigans got him in trouble with the police). Stems from the Gaelic word "sionnachuighim," (I play tricks) which was introduced by Irish settlers during the California Gold Rush.
---
SYNONYMS
hit the jackpot, find the Mother Lode
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Scientific researchers often have to work for years before hitting pay dirt."
---
Thanks to Michael for suggesting today's word!
