desperate times require desperate measures

desperate times require desperate measures

proverb Extreme and undesirable circumstances or situations can only be resolved by resorting to equally extreme actions. Derived from the proverb, "Desperate diseases must have desperate remedies." I know that the austerity measures introduced by the government during the recession are unpopular, but desperate times require desperate measures.
See also: desperate, measure, require, times
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • desperate times call for desperate measures
  • drastic
  • drastic times call for drastic measures
  • drastic times require drastic measures
  • require
  • desperate
  • desperate diseases must have desperate remedies
  • remedy
  • follow the golden mean
  • road rage
References in periodicals archive
Desperate times require desperate measures. But will such revenue generation actions help the FBR achieve its ambitious target?
Car tax
Desperate times require desperate measures. If this is what it takes to steady the ship, then so be it.
THE BIG QUESTION
Desperate times require desperate measures and the NSPCC should turn their misguided fire on the causes of this shameful act and celebrate the fact that the perpetrators are behind bars.
Blame the real criminals; Letters
In the face of such a gloomy outlook, one might assume that desperate times require desperate measures, and that we should be consigning the arts to the box marked "nice to have" - not a priority for support in these testing times.
'We mustn't let the arts slip through our fingers' Our arts sector employs more than 30,000 people, costs each person in Wales just 32p a week and saw more than four million engaging in activities during one year.As THEARTS Council OFWALES unveils its latest figures, chief executive Nick Capaldi argues that even in times of austerity we need to value the industry
Desperate times require desperate measures and Sonakshi could well do with changing her stylist.
Sonakshi's stumbling style files
Desperate times require desperate measures, perhaps it is time to reconsider their view on capital punishment - but that's another story.
Hellawell column
One said: 'Desperate times require desperate measures. Feelings are running so high on this that maybe the election threat is the only thing our overlords will listen to.'
BLACKOUT; BBC journalists threaten to pull plug on general election night in row over job cuts
Jordan is adamant that living for a set time in this country should not make you eligible to play for Scotland while Dalglish is a believer that desperate times require desperate measures.
Football: Playing foreigners is a non-starter. This is about more than winning games it's about our heritage; HARD WORK THE KEY TO SCOTS SUCCESS JORDAN
I don't want to vote for a candidate who has no chance of winning, but desperate times require desperate measures. To be forced to such extremes by the currently degraded political climate is enough of a vexation without Matt Welch trying to rub my nose in it.
Letters
Desperate times require desperate measures and there was no shortage of desperate measures and trickery employed by both sides in World War II.
REVIEW: Secret Weapons of World War II
DESPERATE times require desperate measures and with Old Trafford on the brink of outright mutiny, Ashley Young reverted to type.
Embarrassing Ash dives us all crazy
This last bit of the plan seems a bit iffy, but hey, desperate times require desperate measures.
Believe it or not, a rocky horror show might be what this planet needs; way out west
Desperate times require desperate measures. So their coach - the fourth in charge since 1998 - recently took the squad to a firm of astrological consultants to ask advice over picking his team.
The Aussie invasion . . .; Sign -off
Tony Dolphin, of the Institute for Public Policy Research, said: "Desperate times require desperate measures."
MERV THE SPLURGE; KERCHING! Bank boss injects pounds 75bn by 'printing money' KERCHING! King chops base rate to 0.5% all-time low