kill or cure

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

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

From Project Gutenberg