DCHP-1 Online

pay Placer Mining

• 1 n. a profitable deposit or stratum of gold-bearing gravel.

  See also: paystreak (def. 1)  

  • 1863  The Barker Company have struck pay again.
  • 1958  "They . . . sunk a second shaft; when they got through the clay they had pay and they had it all the way down to bedrock. . . ."

• 2 † n. a profitable yield of gold.

  • 1863  For instance, on Williams Creek, the chief mining stream and the centre of trade, there are about 20 shafts taking out rich pay.
  • 1900  One consequence of the "Cariboo rush" was to drain all the other placer-mining camps in the province, even those diggings which were returning good "pay " being forsaken, and allowed to fall into the hands of Indians and the inevitable Chinaman.

• 3 n. Placer Mining gold-bearing gravel

  See also: pay dirt (def. 1)  

  • 1942  "That's only chicken feed compared to what we've got in those pay dumps out on the creek," retorted Hinkley.
  • 1966  . . . even today the fortunate vacationer [in Atlin] may have the chance to witness actual operations as miners "work the creeks" for "colour" and "pay."