Panacea

A supposed remedy capable of solving every problem in a broad area.

Reach for it when naming an all-purpose solution, often while questioning whether one can exist

The new timetable helped, but nobody treated it as a panacea for staff shortages.

• playful

  magic fix

  for an implausibly easy solution promoted without enough evidence

  not when Magic fix is openly dismissive and unsuitable when praise is sincere.

• playful

  silver bullet

  when rejecting the idea of one simple decisive fix

  not when Silver bullet is a metaphor associated with technology and management talk.

• everyday

  answer

  when context already makes the problem and scope clear

  not when Answer may solve one question and does not imply broad reach.

• everyday

  cure-all

  for a solution claimed to remedy many unrelated difficulties

  not when Cure-all is informal and often carries more obvious skepticism.

• professional

  comprehensive solution

  when several causes are addressed through coordinated measures

  not when Comprehensive does not mean literally universal and is a more defensible claim.

• formal

  universal remedy

  if the all-encompassing medical or figurative claim needs stating plainly

  not when Universal remedy is descriptive rather than an established compact term.

• aggravation
• poison
• partial remedy

• no panacea

  More funding is no panacea unless recruitment and training improve too.

• universal panacea

  The committee resisted presenting automation as a universal panacea.

• panacea for

  One workshop cannot be a panacea for years of unequal access.