magic bullet
2
6.8
- noun
- /ˈmædʒɪk ˈbʌlɪt/
:
solución mágica
- I have no particular opinion on Rhee and like-minded reformers, but I think the single-mindedness of their proposals and attitudes sometimes suggests there's a magic bullet for the problems of American education, which is unlikely to be the case.
- look for a magic bullet
I don't have the magic bullet for United States.
- I don't have the magic bullet for United States.
- Most writers are looking for the magic bullet.
- You know, I think along many people look to spices or other sort of super foods as these magic bullet solutions for health problems.
- It's not going to be a magic bullet, but it should be the mainstay of how someone with PCOS eats.
- And so I do think that there isn't like a, you know, magic bullet in, in, in this group that's going to change the trajectory immediately.
Examples
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The lack of attention to population growth has left many of those who are concerned about the issue to pursue their own "magic bullets."
Academic text (1994) -
Same with those people who have magic bullet solutions to society's complex problems.
Blog text (13) -
Most writers are looking for the magic bullet and which is why I talk about this in my class all the time.
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But, as another commenter put it, breaking the unions as the "magic bullet" may not produce the result that we think it will.
Blog text (13) -
The idea that a magic bullet solution to this problem exists in breaking teachers' unions is appealing, but sheer fallacy.
Blog text (13) -
But even if there was a "magic bullet," and schools across the board suddenly snapped into top form, with small classes and excellent teachers and engaging curricula, that wouldn't change the underlying issue.
Blog text (13) -
Some people search for a magic bullet to eliminate their financial problems overnight.
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The team understood that there is no magic bullet to solve the climate crisis, but every small effort counts.
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After years of research, scientists concluded that there is no magic bullet for eradicating poverty permanently.
Synonyms
6
5.3
A simple answer that seems to fix a very hard problem quickly
5
3.5
A new and useful way to solve a problem
A smart, simple trick that solves a problem quickly
Antonyms
How Effective
Surface Forms
Morphology
magic + bullet
A learner who knows 'magic' (supernatural, very effective) and 'bullet' (a single projectile/decisive action) can infer a metaphorical idea of a single powerful fix, so the general concept is partially predictable. However, the full idiomatic nuance—that it denotes a simple, highly effective solution often hoped for but unlikely—goes beyond literal composition and relies on cultural usage, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
Magic bullet also came to mean a single, very simple fix for a hard problem because people imagine one magic bullet doing all the work at once. So we use it today when someone hopes for a quick 'simple solution' that is unlikely to exist.