desperate diseases must have desperate remedies
desperate diseases must have desperate remedies
proverb Extreme and undesirable circumstances or situations can only be resolved by resorting to equally extreme actions. I know that the austerity measures introduced by the government during the recession are unpopular, but desperate diseases must have desperate remedies.
See also: desperate, disease, have, must, remedy
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
Desperate diseases must have desperate remedies.
Prov. If you have a seemingly insurmountable problem, you must do things you ordinarily would not do in order to solve it. Fred: All my employees have been surly and morose for months. How can I improve their morale? Alan: Why not give everyone a raise? Fred: That's a pretty extreme suggestion. Alan: Yes, but desperate diseases must have desperate remedies.
See also: desperate, disease, have, must, remedy
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
- desperate
- remedy
- require
- desperate times call for desperate measures
- desperate times require desperate measures
- drastic
- drastic times call for drastic measures
- drastic times require drastic measures
- follow the golden mean
- road rage