Silver bullet

A silver bullet is a metaphor for an easy solution to a complex problem and dates in this sense from the 1970s. In this sense the origin is American, but the concept of a silver bullet as some sort of magic solution, goes back to the early 1700s when a silver bullet was thought to be the only way to kill a werewolf. This was a widespread superstition in many European countries and therefore in many different languages. A silver bullet was also the famous calling card of the Lone Ranger in the radio and subsequent TV shows, which first aired in 1933. The Lone Ranger would perform miraculous tasks and leave a silver bullet as proof of his authorship. Both the early superstition and the Lone Ranger may have had a bearing on the current, modern meaning of silver bullet.