a gold mine

gold mine

1. Literally, a mine where gold ore is found and excavated. Also written as "goldmine." More than 500 workers have become trapped in a gold mine after a minor earthquake cause the mineshaft to collapse.
2. An enterprise, opportunity, or resource that is or has the potential to be extremely profitable. The social networking site has since become a veritable gold mine, attracting millions of new users every month and generating staggering amounts of money from ad revenue. If we can secure the merger deal with the pharmaceutical giant in London, I'm sure it will prove to be a gold mine!
3. A person, place, or thing containing a plentiful amount of something valuable or desirable. Who knew that my grandfather's attic would turn out to be a gold mine of priceless antiques? This database is a gold mine for anyone interested in medical research trials. Our professor is a gold mine of information about medieval French literature.
See also: gold, mine
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

a ˈgold mine

a business or an activity that makes a large profit: That Internet cafe of his is a real gold mine.
See also: gold, mine
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • gold mine
  • strike gold
  • mine
  • gold-plated
  • gold-plate
  • go gold
  • goldbricker
  • goldbrick
  • have a heart of gold
  • get a gold star
References in periodicals archive
'In some locations under our cassava and cashew plantations, if we dig down about five to six metres, we may spot a gold mine. But it is very difficult because we do not have enough equipment to extract gold,' he said.
A Gold Mine -- File Photo CAIRO -- 9 July 2018: Production at Egypt's Sukari Gold Mine declined 25 percent during the second quarter of 2018, recording 92,800 ounces, compared to 124,600 ounces during the same period of 2017.
"Once we got to the point where we felt gold prices had risen (high enough), it made good sense for us to start a gold mine in Timmins," Laing says.
Mark Twain quipped that the definition of a gold mine is a hole in the ground
I guess if you threw a dart at a map of the United States and decided to put a gold mine there, it's probably the worst place possible," says Stuart Coleman, director for resource management of Yellowstone National Park.
A Gold Mine -- File Photo CAIRO -- 13 June 2018: The Egyptian Mineral Resource Authority (EMRA) has received $1.1 million on profit account from the Sukari Gold Mine during May 2018, according to General Manager of Centamin Company Youssef el-Raghy.
In gratitude for a gold mine of a tourist attraction, the Venezuelan government gave each of the men a mining concession.
A Gold Mine -- File Photo CAIRO -- 21 May 2018: Egypt has reached a total of $195.1 million on profit account from the Sukari Gold Mine since the start of dividing profits between Centamin Egypt Company and the Egyptian Mineral Resource Authority (EMRA) in October 2016 till April 2018, General Manager of Centamin Company Youssef el-Raghy said.
With a 44% share, Buenaventura was sitting atop a gold mine. Continual new discoveries from an aggressive ongoing exploration program have boosted reserves, extending Yanacocha's life to between 15 and 20 years.