golden goose



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golden goose

A person, thing, or organization that is or has the potential to earn a lot of money for a long period of time. Taken from a folk tale of a goose that would lay a golden egg once a day, but was killed by its owner because he wanted all of its gold at once. New carbon taxes have proved to be a golden goose for the government, providing a steady and much-needed source of revenue. College athletics, especially football, have always been a golden goose for universities, which earn significant sums from attendance at games and tournaments.
See also: golden, goose

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
'Abbas-Arabic, Persian
TereTE-reSpanish
Arrigoahr-REE-goItalian
Aurelijus-Lithuanian
Made-Indonesian, Balinese
Winfrith-Anglo-Saxon (Latinized)