silver bullet

Noun

silver bullet (plural silver bullets)

1. (literally) A bullet made of silver, usually with reference to the folkloric belief that such bullets are the only weapons which can kill a werewolf, vampire, or other monster.
2. (figuratively) Any straightforward solution perceived to have great effectiveness or to bring miraculous results.
   • There is no silver bullet for this problem. It will take hard work and long hours to fix.
   • Colin H. Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, acknowledged last week that “no one capability is a silver bullet,” but said the cluster munitions would allow Ukraine “to sustain the artillery fight for the foreseeable future.”2023 July 14, Eric Schmitt, quoting Colin H. Kahl, “U.S. Cluster Munitions Arrive in Ukraine, but Impact on Battlefield Remains Unclear”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   Synonyms:

   magic bullet

3. (colloquial) A classic dry martini cocktail.
   • The Martini is nicknamed “the silver bullet” because of its supposedly lethal properties.[2003, Lowell Edmunds, Martini, Straight Up: The Classic American Cocktail, JHU Press, →ISBN, page 64
   • For a classic silver bullet martini, you simply need to choose your poison—gin or vodka—and add dry vermouth and olives. For the more complex concoctions, you'll want to stock up on flavored vodkas, juices, garnishes, and liqueurs.2007, Sally Ann Berk, Martini Book: 201 Ways to Mix the Perfect American Cocktail, Hachette, →ISBN
4. (slang) A thermometer, especially one used for rectal temperature readings.
   • […] "the silver bullet"—a rectal thermometer, to ensure that their body core isn't dangerously overheated from the run.1998, Thomas E. Ricks, Making the Corps, page 166
   • Of course, there is the infamous “Silver Bullet,” which is a rectal thermometer that measures the body's core temperature in the event of a heat case. No one wanted to get it up the butt with the Silver Bullet, […]2006, Cpl. Matthew D. Wojtecki, Every Other Four, page 140