hit/strike pay dirt

idiom

chiefly US, informal
: to do, find, or get something that results in money or success
The band hit pay dirt with their first single.
The police struck pay dirt when a witness came forward with new information.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web First, the Hugh Jackman miracle (which opened with $8.8 million over Fri-Sun and $13.5 million over Wed-Sun) bled right into Christmas and hit pay dirt when kids were out of school and adults were mostly off work during the holidays. Scott Mendelson, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2021 One perhaps surprising player who hasn’t hit pay dirt yet is tight end George Kittle, who has 15 catches and no TDs. Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 3 Oct. 2021 Before its pioneering messenger RNA technology hit pay dirt, Moderna rewarded its executives and co-founders with generous helpings of stock. Daniel Gilbert, Washington Post, 29 Apr. 2023 But Alp operatives hit pay dirt by combing through Arabic-language posts from Khalifa’s personal Facebook account. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023 Alaska was one of the fastest-growing states long before drillers hit pay dirt in America’s greatest oil field, Prudhoe Bay, in 1968. Andrew Van Dam, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Mar. 2023 If the Bulldogs play a little better, and the Auburn offense continues to turn over the ball at this rate — 12 in five games — the Georgia offense won’t have to travel far to hit pay dirt. Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 6 Oct. 2022 On their return to Manchester, the Ting Tings decided to give music another shot and hit pay dirt almost immediately. Mike Wass, Variety, 14 Feb. 2022 The need to protect network security is certainly urgent; every day that passes without an effective solution is another day of opportunity for attackers to hit pay dirt. Carlos Morales, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hit/strike pay dirt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near hit/strike pay dirt

Cite this Entry

“Hit/strike pay dirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hit%2Fstrike%20pay%20dirt. Accessed 31 May. 2023.

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