Phrase guide

gold in them thar hills

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

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Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An opportunity for something to be profitable or beneficial.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see gold, in, them thar, hills.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

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.