hit/strike pay dirt

American & Australian

to achieve or discover something important or valuable.

She finally hit pay dirt with her third novel which quickly became a best seller.

• hit on someone
• hit on something
• hit or miss
• hit pay dirt
• hit right between the eyes
• hit rock bottom
• hit someone between the eyes
• hit someone like a ton of bricks
• hit someone right between the eyes
• hit someone up
• hit someone where it hurts
• hit someone where it hurts most
• hit something hard
• hits the fan
• hit stride
• hit the books
• hit the bottle
• hit the brakes
• hit the brick wall
• hit the buffers
• hit the ceiling
• hit the deck
• hit the dirt
• hit the ground running
• hit the hay