Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
like gold dust

like gold dust

1 7.7
Very rare and hard to get
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : muy escaso
  • In prison, candy is like gold dust.

Examples

  • This was a big prize, and the doors that could potentially be opened were like gold dust.

    Blog text (14)

  • In this economy, good job opportunities are like gold dust.

  • Quality ingredients for this recipe are like gold dust; you need to search hard to find them.

  • For students, a good mentor can be like gold dust, greatly enhancing their learning experience.

Synonyms

scarce
vslike gold dust
103 4.8

Not enough of something for people who need it

also implies the item is very valuable, not only in short supply
like finding a hen's hiney
vslike gold dust
  • Informal
9.9

Something that is very hard to find

stresses both rarity and high value rather than just rarity
do not grow on trees
vslike gold dust
  • Informal
8.1

Not easy to find or get

adds a strong sense of high value beyond simple scarcity

Antonyms

common
797 1.0

Happening often or seen in many places

plentiful
48 2.5

There is more than enough of something

How Rare

like gold dust
  • UK
1 7.7
scarce
103 4.8
rare
582 4.1
uncommon
122 4.6
common
797 1.0

Surface Forms

like gold dust main

Morphology

like + gold + dust

The simile structure 'like' + 'gold dust' is compositionally interpretable: 'gold' signals high value and 'dust' signals tiny/scarce particles, so together they convey something very rare or hard to obtain. This comparison follows a straightforward, cross-linguistically common metaphorical logic, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would likely infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Like gold dust may come from the idea of tiny bits of gold like dust that are very valuable and hard to find. So, when something is 'like gold dust' it means 'very rare' or 'hard to get'.