golden ticket

English

Etymology

From golden +‎ ticket; from golden referring to something valuable or desirable and ticket as something necessary for obtaining something. Popularized by the winning tickets in Roald Dahl's 1964 book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Pronunciation

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Noun

golden ticket (plural golden tickets)

1. (idiomatic) A qualification, person or thing that can provide positive opportunities.
   • 1998, Harvard Magazine, Volume 101, page 67:

     So the Harvard diploma is now, more than ever, a golden ticket to a certain kind of success.

   • 2006, Ange Picillo, How I Became the President of the Self-Centered Club for Men‎^[1], page 2:

     The shiny brass trumpet that Pop bought was his golden ticket out of Poorville and onto the streets of the three F's Fame, Fortune and Freedom.

   • 2010, Melinda Doolittle, Ken Abraham, Beyond Me, ZONDERVAN, unnumbered page:

     A staffer handed me the coveted golden ticket, indicating that I had been invited to Hollywood, and I danced out the door.