eat dirt
To act humble; accept another's insult or bad treatment.
Mr. Johnson was so much afraid of losing his job that he would eat dirt whenever the boss got mean.
hit the dirt
To take cover under gunfire by falling on the ground.
We hit the dirt the moment we heard the machine gun fire.
pay dirt
The dirt in which much gold is found.
The man searched for gold many years before he found pay dirt.
A valuable discovery. Often used in the phrase strike pay dirt.
When Bill joined the team, the coach struck pay dirt.
Jean looked in many books for facts about her hometown, and finally she struck pay dirt.