Home › Glossary › Letter S

Strike gold

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Strike gold means to find great success, wealth, or valuable discovery; in aspirational poetry, it symbolizes achievement, fortune, or the sudden realization of dreams after prolonged effort.

Detailed Definition
Strike gold means to discover something valuable, fortunate, or unexpectedly successful. In poetry, the idiom can describe literal discovery, artistic inspiration, true love, sudden insight, or a moment when ordinary experience reveals hidden wealth. Its mining image suggests labour, chance, depth, and glittering reward beneath rough ground. A poet may use it sincerely for joy or ironically when material success replaces deeper fulfilment. It is useful for exploring luck, value, and the human hunger to find treasure in the world.
Example
Example in poetry:
A mining poem might have the weary prospector strike gold at sunrise; In a literary poem, a young writer strikes gold with one unforgettable image; The phrase means to discover something valuable or successful; A poet can use it literally or metaphorically.
Additional Notes
Strike gold means discover great value, success, or opportunity, from mining. In poetry, it can refer to literal wealth, artistic inspiration, love, archival discovery, or sudden good fortune. The phrase is useful because gold suggests rarity, brightness, desire, and danger. Students should ask whether the discovery enriches the soul or feeds greed. It pairs well with rivers, pans, veins, dust, hands, and the moment labour meets luck.
Also Known As
Hit the jackpot
Skip to main content