gold in them thar hills en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Originally used in the phrase there’s gold in them thar hills, possibly a misquote of the phrase there’s millions in it (viz. the North Georgia mountains) uttered in Mark Twain's novel The American Claimant (1892) by Colonel Mulberry Sellers, a character thought to be based on Dahlonega Mint assayer M. F. Stephenson.
Meanings
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(idiomatic, uncountable) An opportunity for something to be profitable or beneficial.
I think there's gold in them thar hills if we get the chance.
2018 September 28, Ed Gross, “Gal Gadot To Star In A Remake Of Agatha Christie's Murder Mystery 'Death On The Nile'”, in Closer Weekly, archived from the original on 08 Oct 2018:There really is gold in them thar hills. During the 2000 election cycle, zip-code areas on average yielded slightly more than $35,000 in political contributions, while residents of Beverly Hills, 90210, ponied up slightly more than $6.2 million.
2004 September, Eric Alterman, “The Hollywood Campaign”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 08 Oct 2018:
- (uncountable) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see gold, in, them thar, hills.
wikipedia: The American Claimant · wikipedia: Dahlonega Mint · wikipedia: Mark Twain · wikipedia: M. F. Stephenson