pay dirt

Their initial attempts failed to find nematodes in lakebed sediments, prompting Jung to take a hammer to samples of microbialites where she struck biological pay dirt.

A cadre of agents — veterans who had seized fentanyl, heroin and other illicit narcotics in previous raids — dug deep, hands and boots in a sea of pungent material, before hitting pay dirt.

He’d strike pay dirt with “Come Monday” and, especially, “Margaritaville,” songs that brought him into the pop mainstream and established the foundation of a career that brought him from the beach into Wall Street boardrooms.

But Earth MRI is also planning hyperspectral surveys that will scan the treeless, arid surface for pay dirt.

The real pay dirt is likely to reveal itself when the rushing waters swollen with snow melt subside.