golden goose

American  

noun

1. a legendary goose that laid one golden egg a day and was killed by its impatient owner, who wanted all the gold immediately.

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golden goose British  

noun

1. a goose in folklore that laid a golden egg a day until its greedy owner killed it in an attempt to get all the gold at once

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Example Sentences

Hilldun, a New York financing company that backs trendy fashion brands such as Isabel Marant, L’Agence and Golden Goose advised its clients in December to hold shipments of spring merchandise to Saks because the retailer had reached its credit limit.

From The Wall Street Journal

While Venezuela’s mineral industry may turn out to be fool’s gold, the rest of the region could well be the golden goose investors are looking for.

From Barron's

But Google also had to find a way to keep generative AI from killing its golden goose—its 90% share of the web search market, the foundation of its advertising business.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Despite the state’s national reputation as ‘Scandinavia by the Sea,’ there remains a strong anti-tax impulse among voters who often reject tax increases and are loath to kill the state’s golden goose of tech entrepreneurship.”

From Los Angeles Times

The firm believes the Cybercab, which is slated to enter production in early 2026, will be “the golden goose” for the company and could drive Tesla to a $2 trillion market capitalization next year.

From Barron's

Related Words

• moneymaker