Idiomatic Usage
The term has been adopted into a general metaphor, where "silver bullet" refers to any straightforward solution perceived to have extreme effectiveness. The phrase typically appears with an expectation that some new technological development or practice will easily cure a major prevailing problem. It is quite possible, however, that this usage derives from a confusion of "silver bullet" with "magic bullet," the popular term for Dr. Paul Ehrlich's newly-discovered cure for syphilis in the early 20th century. The medical breakthrough was the subject of the 1940 film, "Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet," and prompted the metaphorical use of "magic bullet" as a powerful cure for a pressing societal problem. Colloquial jargon also uses this term to refer to a tampon.
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Famous quotes containing the words idiomatic and/or usage:
“One of the necessary qualifications of an efficient business man in these days of industrial literature seems to be the ability to write, in clear and idiomatic English, a 1,000-word story on how efficient he is and how he got that way.... It seems that the entire business world were devoting its working hours to the creation of a school of introspective literature.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)
“...Often the accurate answer to a usage question begins, “It depends.” And what it depends on most often is where you are, who you are, who your listeners or readers are, and what your purpose in speaking or writing is.”
—Kenneth G. Wilson (b. 1923)