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Midas touch

Midas touch

3 8.1
A special ability to make money or do well in many things
  • idiom
  • /ˈmaɪdəs tʌtʃ/
  • Informal
translation icon : toque de Midas
  • Al, you really do seem to have the Midas touch.
  • got the Midas touch
  • man with the Midas touch

Like they just were like, it looked like they had the Midas touch and then upon deeper analysis, they didn't have the Midas touch.

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Examples

  • Harry's had the Midas touch too long for me to argue with and keep my job.

  • Less than two years later, that store has opened—evidence of both the Midas touch.

    Blog text (9)
  • Now we're seeing the Midas touch.

  • I hired you because of your Midas touch.

  • The kid's got the Midas touch with the broads.

  • Rovio seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to mobile games.

    Blog text (2)
  • It's as though well-liked people have a bag of tricks, a magic, or a Midas touch that turns everything they do into success.

    Blog text (11)
  • Just as there are heroes in sport, there are heroes in the investing community: investors who seem to have the Midas touch and consistently beat the markets.

    Blog text (29)
  • Rovio seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to mobile games.

  • I hired you because of your Midas touch in growing successful businesses.

Synonyms

golden touch
vsMidas touch
  • Informal
1 5.2

A skill for making projects succeed easily

focuses on making money from everything rather than general success

How Successful

Midas touch
  • Informal
3 8.1
success
1.0
good fortune
66 2.5
luck
1.0

Surface Forms

Midas touch singular
Midas touches plural

Morphology

Midas + touch

The meaning relies on the mythological reference to King Midas (who turned everything to gold); a B1 learner who only knows the literal words 'Midas' (a name) and 'touch' will not predict the figurative sense 'ability to succeed or make money' without knowing the story. The expression is a cultural/metaphorical reference rather than a compositional phrase, so its meaning is not derivable from the constituents alone.

Etymology

The idiom Midas touch comes from an old story about King Midas, who could turn everything he touched into gold. That strong image of turning things into gold is why we say someone has the Midas touch when they can 'make money' or 'succeed' at everything they try.