sure cure

Idioms

A remedy that won't fail, as in Hard work is a sure cure for brooding. Originating in the late 1800s as an advertising slogan (Dr. Keck's Sure Cure for Catarrh; first recorded in 1881), this rhyming phrase was soon extended to other matters.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s a sure cure for any lingering Weltschmerz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

Being around him is a sure cure for feeling sorry for yourself.

From Golf Digest • Jun. 25, 2019

Dr. Mills emphasized that although there is still no sure cure for Peyronie’s disease, therapy often lessens the problem.

From New York Times • Feb. 11, 2019

Nevertheless, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is a sure cure for the “mean reds.”

From Salon • Dec. 31, 2016

The doctor stated that it was a sure cure for headache.

From Fetichism in West Africa Forty Years' Observations of Native Customs and Superstitions by Nassau, Robert Hamill

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023