English Explanatory Dictionary

picks and shovels

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The crucial tools or ingredients for a booming industry or enterprise.

Word forms

picks and shovels

Etymology

From the expression “When everybody is digging for gold, it's good to be in the pick and shovel business” or a variation thereof.

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on P Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary