pay dirt

noun

1. soil, gravel, or ore that can be mined profitably.
2. Informal. any source of success or wealth; a fortunate discovery or profitable venture:

   After months of experimentation, the scientists finally hit pay dirt.

3. Football. end zone ( def 1 ).

pay dirt

noun

1. a deposit rich enough in minerals to be worth mining
2. strike pay dirt informal.
   strike pay dirthit pay dirt to achieve one's objective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pay dirt¹

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Example Sentences

He was back with the same offer in 2007, and again his investigator struck pay dirt.

From The Daily Beast

They were down some forty feet and were drifting in, wheeling the pay-dirt down a series of planks placed on trestles to the dump.

From Project Gutenberg

In the morning our fire would be burned out, and enough pay-dirt thawed to keep us picking all day.

From Project Gutenberg

As the night was chilly I had brought along an old grey blanket, similar in colour to the mound of the pay-dirt.

From Project Gutenberg

So far we hadn't got pay-dirt, but their mining manager wanted us to drift in a little further.

From Project Gutenberg

Every hour for us meant so much more of that precious pay-dirt that lay under the frozen surface.

From Project Gutenberg