kill or cure

Either remedy a disease or kill the patient, as in The copy chief did not like her headline for the drug, “Kill or Cure.” This expression dates from the mid-1700s, when it was already being used half-jokingly.

Words nearby kill or cure

kilimanjaro, kilkenny, kilkenny cats, kill, kill off, kill or cure, kill shot, kill switch, kill the fatted calf, kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, kill time

Example sentences from the Web for kill or cure

  • Foxglove, for instance, from which digitalis used as a medicine is extracted, is a good example of these kill-or-cure plants.

    The Naturalist on the Thames |C. J. Cornish