hit the jackpot

Idioms  

1. Be highly successful, especially unexpectedly; win, especially a lot of money. For example, She hit the jackpot at the auction; that platter turned out to be genuine Meissen. This term comes from a form of poker in which a hand can be opened only if one holds at least a pair of jacks (or higher). Often a number of hands must be dealt before anyone can open, and since players must put in money for each round, the jackpot, or total amount held, is apt to be quite large. [Early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

The Hawks hit the jackpot despite just 3% odds after finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference at 36-46.

From Seattle Times • May 12, 2024

Founded in 2012 by Chinese entrepreneurs, ByteDance first hit the jackpot with short video app Douyin in China.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2024

Jackson, 31, captioned their high-altitude proposal photo with a “Hell YES 💍,” and Westwick, 36, wrote “I hit the jackpot xxx” on a photo that he reposted to his Instagram story.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2024

But by the time Justin Bieber waved the checkered flag on Formula 1’s return to Las Vegas, the $500 million Sin City gamble had hit the jackpot.

From Washington Times • Nov. 19, 2023

She’d say all the wrong things—that I’ve hit the jackpot, that I need to get into this boy’s pockets real quick, that I need to do something about that Carrie girl.

From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi