magic bullet

English

Etymology

Calque of German Zauberkugel. Coined by physician Paul Ehrlich as an allusion to the opera Der Freischütz. Compare silver bullet, from werewolf lore.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Australia):

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Noun

magic bullet (plural magic bullets)

1. (idiomatic) A simple remedy for a difficult or complex problem, especially a cure for a disease.

   In recent years, penicillin-based drugs have lost some of their magic bullet status due to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

   History shows that there's no magic bullet for a global financial crisis.

Synonyms

• (simple remedy for complex problem or disease): miracle, panacea, silver bullet, wonder drug

Translations

a remedy

• Finnish: ihmelääke
• French: panacée (fr) f, solution miracle (fr) f, remède miracle m, formule magique (fr) f
• Georgian: პანაცეა (ka) (ṗanacea)
• Greek: μαγική συνταγή f (magikí syntagí)
• Italian: panacea (it) f
• Japanese: 魔弾 (madan)
• Portuguese: panaceia (pt) f, santo remédio m, fórmula mágica f