gold-digging

A woman is accused of gold-digging for marrying a wealthy older man.

Definition

1. Noun (uncountable):

   • The act of mining for gold: "gold-digging" refers to the physical activity of extracting gold from the earth, typically through digging or panning.
   • A manipulative pursuit of wealth (slang, pejorative): In informal usage, "gold-digging" describes the practice of forming a romantic relationship primarily to obtain money or material benefits from a wealthy partner.

2. Adjective (informal, pejorative):

   • Characterized by seeking wealth through relationships: Used to describe a person or behavior that aims to exploit a partner's financial resources.

Usage Examples

• Noun (literal): (The activity of mining for gold.)
• Noun (figurative): (Her pursuit of wealth through relationships.)
• Adjective: (Describing her motives as focused on money.)

Advanced Usage

• "to go gold-digging": to engage in the literal or figurative activity.

  • Many prospectors went gold-digging in California in 1849. (They mined for gold.)
  • She went gold-digging at the yacht club, hoping to meet a millionaire. (She sought a wealthy partner.)

• "gold-digging scheme": a plan to obtain money through deceitful romantic involvement.

  • The con artist's gold-digging scheme was exposed by the police. (A fraudulent plan to exploit a rich person.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gold-digger (noun): a person who engages in gold-digging, either literally or figuratively.

  • The old miner was a seasoned gold-digger. (A person who mines for gold.)
  • She was called a gold-digger for marrying a wealthy older man. (A person who seeks money through relationships.)

• Gold-dig (verb, rare): to engage in gold-digging.

  • They plan to gold-dig in the mountains next summer. (To mine for gold.)

Synonyms

• Prospecting: the act of searching for valuable minerals, especially gold.
• Materialism: a focus on material wealth, often at the expense of other values.
• Social climbing: attempting to rise in social status, often through wealthy connections.

Phrasal Verbs

• Dig for gold: to search for gold literally.

  • The team is digging for gold in the remote riverbed. (They are mining for gold.)

• Dig into someone's pockets (informal): to take money from someone, often dishonestly.

  • He accused her of digging into his pockets with her expensive demands. (Taking his money.)

Related Idioms

• Strike gold: to find a source of wealth or success, literally or figuratively.

  • The investor struck gold with that tech startup. (He made a lot of money.)

• Marry for money: to enter a marriage primarily for financial gain.

  • She married for money, not love, and regretted it later. (Her motive was wealth.)

• Gold rush: a period of rapid migration to an area where gold has been discovered.

  • The California gold rush attracted thousands of fortune seekers. (A historical event of mass gold-digging.)