# gold in them thar hills

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/gold-in-them-thar-hills
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

An opportunity for something to be profitable and/or beneficial.

## Examples

- He thinks there is gold in them thar hills with this new business idea.
- You should check the attic; there might be gold in them thar hills.
- The investors are excited about the new technology because they believe there is gold in them thar hills.
- My grandfather spent years buying old comic books at garage sales because he was certain there was gold in them thar hills.
- The marketing team is looking at social media trends to see if there is gold in them thar hills for our next campaign.
- Despite the skepticism of his peers, the entrepreneur remained convinced that there was gold in them thar hills, provided he could secure the necessary funding to explore the untapped market.

## Origin

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 1892 novel The American Claimant by Colonel Mulberry Sellers, a character thought to be based on Dahlonega Mint assayer M. F. Stephenson. (disputed)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.