strike gold

Verb

strike gold (third-person singular simple present strikes gold, present participle striking gold, simple past struck gold, past participle struck gold or (rare or archaic) stricken gold)

1. (informal) To be lucky, to win or be successful.
   • Danny Manning and Edwin Moses quickly come to mind for fans who want American athletes to strike gold this summer.1988, Douglas C. Lyons, “What to expect in Seoul”, in Ebony
   • Shopping for jewelry is just like finding love: When the right one comes along, you'll know it. What follows is a list of sources where buyers are most likely to strike gold.1995, “Holiday Glitter”, in New York Magazine
2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see strike, gold (to find gold).
   • “And how did he make his money?”
     “In mining. He had nothing a few years ago. Then he struck gold, invested it, and came up by leaps and bounds.”1892 [April], A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. X.—The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor.”, in Geo[rge] Newnes, editor, The Strand Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly, volume III...
   • Jim Cleve had gone to an unfrequented part of the gulch, for no particular reason, and here he had located his claim. The very first day he struck gold.1916, Zane Grey, chapter 14, in The Border Legion