noun
- soil, gravel, or ore that can be mined profitably.
- Informal. any source of success or wealth; a fortunate discovery or profitable venture: After months of experimentation, the scientists finally hit pay dirt.
- Football. end zone(def 1).
noun
- a deposit rich enough in minerals to be worth mining
- strike pay dirt or hit pay dirt informal to achieve one’s objective
n.also pay dirt, “profit, success,” 1873, from pay (n.) + dirt (n.); a word from mining, where it was used in a literal sense from 1856.