strike pay dirt

strike pay dirt

To discover or happen upon something very, particularly, or abundantly valuable or useful, especially after a long or arduous search. I was combing through books in the library for hours, trying to find material for my thesis, when finally I struck pay dirt with an old collection of literary criticisms from the 1970s. I loved to search through my grandfather's attic when I was a kid, convinced that someday I would strike pay dirt.
See also: dirt, pay, strike
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

hit/strike ˈpay dirt

(informal, especially American English) suddenly be in a successful situation, especially one that makes you rich: The band hit pay dirt two years ago with their first album, but have since been less successful.This comes from mining. Pay dirt is earth that contains valuable minerals or metal such as gold.
See also: dirt, hit, pay, strike
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

strike pay dirt

verb
See hit pay dirt
See also: dirt, pay, strike
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

pay dirt, to hit/strike

To find something very valuable; to profit hugely. The term comes from mining, where it literally refers to finding soil (dirt) that contains gold, silver, or some other precious ore. By the late nineteenth century it had been transferred to other lucrative discoveries and financial success. The term originated in mid-nineteenth-century America, probably during the Gold Rush.
See also: hit, pay, strike
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • pay dirt, hit
  • pay dirt, to hit/strike
  • paydirt
  • hit pay dirt
  • hit/strike pay dirt
  • pay dirt
  • shower (something) upon (someone or something)
  • shower on
  • shower (someone or something) with (something)
  • shower (something) on (someone or something)
References in periodicals archive
Letters must often compress a great deal of ore into a small seam-they make a virtue of their own impoverishment--and the best letter-writers are those who strike pay dirt with the least amount of spadework.
Personal compositions
When I did strike pay dirt, watching a 1-inch needle flexing back and forth in the thigh of a squirming toddler was more than I could take.
Where's the point?
Finally, you can "scambait" the scammers, leading them on in thinking they're about to strike pay dirt with you.
Don't get hooked by burgeoning e-mail 'phishing' expeditions
Roche Holding expects to strike pay dirt with genetic testing.
Gene testing holds promise for lucrative future. (News)
"'If there were just 10,000 advanced civilizations in the galaxy, researchers could well strike pay dirt before Science turns 150."
The big questions in Science