golden ticket

[gohl-duhn tik-it]

noun

Informal.

1. a way or chance to obtain something valuable or desirable that is often hard to get.

   A lot of parents think that getting into a prestigious university is a golden ticket, but you have to work hard to make that opportunity count.

   The serum contains proven ingredients that are a golden ticket to longer, healthier nails.

Word History and Origins

Origin of golden ticket¹

First recorded in 1680–90

Example Sentences

“Five years ago it seemed like being a software engineer was a golden ticket,” Rosenberg said.

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“I viewed it as a ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ moment — I got the golden ticket,” he says.

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Forty years on from the historic Live Aid concert and the memories of that remarkable day live on in a fortunate few who got their hands on a golden ticket.

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She was arrested in 1888, leaving crofters on Skye still waiting for their "golden ticket" to a new life in Australia.

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Switzerland also gets a golden ticket to honour last year's victory.

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