What Does It Mean to 'Hit Pay Dirt'?
2024-11-17
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2On this program we explore words and expressions in the English language.
3We give examples and notes on usage.
4Many valuable materials are buried deep inside the ground, such as gold, oil and diamonds.
5But finding these riches and bringing them to the surface takes much time and effort.
6In the past, the term pay dirt was used to describe something found in the dirt that could bring you money.
7Gold is a common example of pay dirt.
8In fact, word experts say the term dates back to when North America's famous gold rush was happening.
9By the mid-1800s, thousands of people had come to parts of the United States and Canada to search for gold.
10The work was hard and dangerous.
11The weather and terrain presented many difficulties.
12Here is an example of how to use pay dirt from Cambridge's online dictionary:
13Gold rushes continued into the 19th century as lucky prospectors struck pay dirt.
14However, pay dirt does not have to be a valuable material found in the ground.
15These days, it can also describe something that produces money or profit.
16Or it can even be the money or profit itself.
17Here are some additional examples:
18Email addresses are the new pay dirt in social media marketing.
19You can reach a possible buyer in their inbox.
20The musical group hit pay dirt with their song after it went viral on TikTok.
21And that gives us the expression to hit pay dirt.
22To hit pay dirt means to do or find something that results in money or success.
23And like digging gold, it usually doesn't come easily. It requires work.
24When you hit pay dirt, you work hard to make money or profit from an idea or activity.
25We often use the verb "hit" when using the term pay dirt. But sometimes we also say "strike" pay dirt.
26This is similar to the expression to strike it rich.
27Many people have dreams of striking it rich one day.
28In her book Gold Rush, author and illustrator Flora Delargy describes the process of hitting pay dirt.
29She writes that in order to get large amounts of pay dirt out of the ground, "miners would have to break through layers of permafrost to reach the gravel bedrock beneath."
30This description demonstrates the difficulties faced by miners seeking to strike pay dirt.
31And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2On this program we explore words and expressions in the English language. We give examples and notes on usage. 3Many valuable materials are buried deep inside the ground, such as gold, oil and diamonds. But finding these riches and bringing them to the surface takes much time and effort. 4In the past, the term pay dirt was used to describe something found in the dirt that could bring you money. Gold is a common example of pay dirt. In fact, word experts say the term dates back to when North America's famous gold rush was happening. 5By the mid-1800s, thousands of people had come to parts of the United States and Canada to search for gold. The work was hard and dangerous. The weather and terrain presented many difficulties. 6Here is an example of how to use pay dirt from Cambridge's online dictionary: 7Gold rushes continued into the 19th century as lucky prospectors struck pay dirt. 8However, pay dirt does not have to be a valuable material found in the ground. These days, it can also describe something that produces money or profit. Or it can even be the money or profit itself. 9Here are some additional examples: 10Email addresses are the new pay dirt in social media marketing. You can reach a possible buyer in their inbox. 11The musical group hit pay dirt with their song after it went viral on TikTok. 12And that gives us the expression to hit pay dirt. 13To hit pay dirt means to do or find something that results in money or success. And like digging gold, it usually doesn't come easily. It requires work. When you hit pay dirt, you work hard to make money or profit from an idea or activity. 14We often use the verb "hit" when using the term pay dirt. But sometimes we also say "strike" pay dirt. This is similar to the expression to strike it rich. Many people have dreams of striking it rich one day. 15In her book Gold Rush, author and illustrator Flora Delargy describes the process of hitting pay dirt. She writes that in order to get large amounts of pay dirt out of the ground, "miners would have to break through layers of permafrost to reach the gravel bedrock beneath." 16This description demonstrates the difficulties faced by miners seeking to strike pay dirt. 17And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo. 18Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 19_________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21terrain -n. the surface features of an area of land 22prospector -n. someone who explores for mineral deposits 23miner -n. one who digs or forms a pit or tunnel from which minerals (as coal, gold, or diamonds) are taken 24permafrost -n. a permanently frozen layer at variable depth below the surface in frigid regions of a planet (such as earth) 25gravel -n. loose rounded fragments of rock 26bedrock -n. the solid rock lying under surface materials (as soil) that are not in layers 27We want to hear from you. Do you have a similar expressions in your language? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. Our comment policy is here. Or send us an email at LearningEnglish@voanews.com.