gold digger

See also: golddigger

English

Alternative forms

• gold-digger, golddigger

Etymology

Literal sense from 1830s; figurative sense (woman who seeks money in a relationship) from 1915.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡəʊld ˈdɪɡə(ɹ)/

Noun

gold digger (plural gold diggers)

1. Someone who digs or mines for gold.

   Synonym: gold miner

2. (figuratively, derogatory) A person (usually female) who cultivates a personal relationship in order to attain wealth.

   Synonym: fortune hunter

   Hypernyms: see Thesaurus:hypergamist

   Coordinate terms: fame digger, fame whore (sometimes coinstantial)

   • 2009, Rajen Persaud, Why Black Men Love White Women, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 189:

     If she sends her son for the money she is a gold digger, and if she sends her daughter, she is a gold digger teaching her daughter how to be a gold digger—two offenses for the price of one. Whether it is the misinterpretation of the hustle, recognizing the game, or asking for legitimate funds for child care, the black woman is often seen as a gold digger.

Translations

someone who digs or mines for gold

• Bulgarian: златотърсач m (zlatotǎrsač)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 淘金者 (zh) (táojīnzhě)

• Danish: guldgraver (da) c
• Dutch: goudzoeker (nl) m, gouddelver (nl) m
• Esperanto: orserĉisto, orfosisto
• Estonian: kullakaevur
• Finnish: kullankaivaja (fi)
• French: chercheur d’or (fr)
• German: Goldgräber (de) m, Goldgräberin (de) f
• Greek: χρυσοθήρας (el) m (chrysothíras)
• Hungarian: aranyásó (hu)
• Italian: cercatore d'oro m
• Japanese: 金採掘者 (kin saikutsu-sha)
• Malay: penggali emas, pengorek emas
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gullgraver m

  Nynorsk: gullgravar m

• Ottoman Turkish: آلتونجی (altıncı)
• Polish: poszukiwacz złota m
• Portuguese: garimpeiro (pt)
• Russian: золотоиска́тель (ru) m (zolotoiskátelʹ), стара́тель (ru) m (starátelʹ)
• Spanish: excavador de oro, excavadora de oro f
• Swedish: guldgrävare (sv) c

person who cultivates a personal relationship in order to attain money and/or material goods, power

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: (female) 拜金女 (bàijīn nǚ), (male) 拜金男 (bàijīn nán)

• Czech: zlatokopka (cs) f
• Danish: golddigger c
• Dutch: geldwolf (nl) m
• Estonian: õnnekütt, harakas (et), aferist (et), lipitseja, kiibitseja, kullakaevur
• Finnish: onnenonkija m or f
• French: michetonneuse (fr) f, michto (fr) (slang), croqueuse de diamants (fr) f
• German: Abzockerbraut f (Slang)
• Japanese: 金魚の糞 (きんぎょのふん, kingyo no fun)
• Korean: 꽃뱀 (ko) f (kkotbaem)
• Lithuanian: barakuda f
• Macedonian: спонзо́рџика f (sponzórdžika)
• Malay: pisau cukur ("razor blade", alluded by its purpose of shaving a man's facial hair)
• Polish: naciągaczka (pl) f
• Portuguese: interesseiro (pt) m, caça-dotes m or f
• Russian: охо́тница за деньга́ми f (oxótnica za denʹgámi), авантюристка (ru) (avantjuristka)
• Serbo-Croatian: спонзоруша (sponzoruša)
• Slovak: zlatokopka f
• Spanish: chapiadora f, cazafortunas m or f, cafiche (es) m or f, trepador (es) m
• Swedish: lycksökerska (sv), lycksökare (sv)
• Vietnamese: người đào mỏ m or f