hit pay dirt—find smth. of value or financially rewarding:
- His first two plays did not do well. But he hit pay dirt with the third.
hit the dirt—fall to the ground suddenly (to avoid being shot, etc.):
- He hit the dirt the moment before the grenade exploded.
Note: The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase hit the dust—
1. = hit the dirt:
- The deputies hit the dust, drawing their weapons, while Jimmy took off running.
2. fall out of the competition:
- Lots of stores are about to hit the dust for sure. I am trying to hold on to see if this pulls out of the slump.