hit pay dirt

hit pay dirt 

1. Fig. to discover something of value. (Alludes to discovering valuable ore.) Sally tried a number of different jobs until she hit pay dirt. I tried to borrow money from a lot of different people. They all said no. Then when I went to the bank, I hit pay dirt.

2. Fig. to get great riches. After years of poverty, the writer hit pay dirt with his third novel. Jane's doing well. She really hit pay dirt with her new business.

See also: dirt, hit, pay

---

hit/strike pay dirt  (American & Australian)

to achieve or discover something important or valuable She finally hit pay dirt with her third novel which quickly became a best seller.

See also: dirt, hit, pay

---

hit pay dirt also strike pay dirt

to succeed He hit pay dirt with his next movie, which grossed $270 million worldwide.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of pay dirt (dirt that contains valuable metals)

See also: dirt, hit, pay