pay dirt

noun

soil, gravel, or ore that can be mined profitably.

Informal. any source of success or wealth; a fortunate discovery or profitable venture:

After months of experimentation, the scientists finally hit pay dirt.

Football. end zone (def 1).

Origin

1855-60, Americanism

Examples from the web for pay dirt

They want to find artifacts that tell stories about what happened on that land a long time ago, and they're striking pay dirt.
He has been studying many possible growth factors and has struck pay dirt with two of them.
Only two days into the expedition, the team hits pay dirt.
After all, the main pay dirt won't be found by studying small populations but by understanding the larger groups around the globe.
Still, it's easy to see why this cheerfully dopey film has struck pay dirt.
If the claim is true, the reader has struck pay dirt.
What they found was scientific pay dirt that continues to yield dividends.
During the summer expedition, gold was discovered, and accompanying journalists quickly sent word back east of pay dirt.
Many of them enjoyed the lifestyle and solitude more than they profited in pay dirt.
The terms pay streak, pay dirt and pay gravel refer to the zone where the economic concentration of gold is located.

British Dictionary definitions for pay dirt

noun

a deposit rich enough in minerals to be worth mining

(informal) strike pay dirt, hit pay dirt, to achieve one's objective

Slang definitions & phrases for pay dirt

noun phrase

Profit and success: I'll try a fast-food franchise, where there's sure to be paydirt

Related Terms

hit pay dirt

[1873+; in the sense ''richly yielding ore,'' found by 1856]