pay dirt
4
7.2
- noun
- /peɪ dɜrt/
- Specialized
- AT QUARTZ CREEK, TODD'S MASSIVE NEW TROMMEL IS MAKING SHORT WORK OF HIS STOCKPILED PAY DIRT.
Examples
-
I didn't really find anything instructive but Warrick hit pay dirt.
-
AT THE BIG NUGGET MINE, AFTER DUMPING GOOD PAY DIRT, PARKER FACES DOWN A MUTINY.
-
'You see he was sure there was real pay dirt here.'
-
THE SUCCESS OF HIS SEASON NOW DEPENDS ON GETTING NEW PAY DIRT AT CALDER CREEK.
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TODD HAS TO BE SURE HE'S CATCHING GOOD GOLD BEFORE HE RUNS TOO MUCH STOCKPILED PAY DIRT.
-
WHILE THEY WERE WAITING FOR THE TROMMEL TO ARRIVE, THE HOFFMANS STOCKPILED 17,000 YARDS OF PAY DIRT.
-
WE'VE GOT THIS PAY DIRT RIGHT HERE'S ALL SHOVED UP, SO THERE'S PROBABLY 12 DAYS OF RUN-UP.
-
The miners were thrilled when they finally found pay dirt at the site, indicating a profitable vein of gold.
-
After years of hard work, her investment in the startup turned out to be pay dirt, yielding impressive returns.
-
The detective's persistence paid off when his search led him to pay dirt — a key piece of evidence in the case.
Synonyms
49
3.7
A rock or mineral that has metal you can take out and sell
19
6.8
A large rich source of valuable things like gold or information
3
7.9
A finding that brings a lot of money or success
Antonyms
How Valuable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase links 'pay' (to yield profit) with 'dirt' (earth) via a metaphor from mining — literally earth that ‘pays’ because it contains valuable ore — so there is a recognisable relation to the constituents. However, this metaphorical, domain-specific sense and the noun formation are not fully predictable for a B1 learner who only knows the literal meanings, making comprehension partial rather than straightforward.
Etymology
Pay dirt comes from mining. When miners dug up earth that gave them money, they called that soil pay dirt because the dirt 'paid' them. That's why it means 'earth or ore that brings money'.