sure-fire

sure-fire

Certain to work, be effective, or have a particular outcome; foolproof. Always used before a noun. Coming in to work drunk is a sure-fire way to get yourself fired, Tom. We've developed a sure-fire method of teaching grammar to grade-schoolers in a way that they will not ignore or forget.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • I've got work to do
  • go shares
  • at work
  • be at work
  • be your own master/mistress
  • be (one's) own master
  • mistress
  • hired hand
  • it will never fly
  • It'll never fly
References in periodicals archive
It's one of the best loved films of its generation...we believe it will be a sure-fire hit next summer Philip Bernays such musicals
Classic movie set for stage; SIMON DUKE HAS DETAILS OF A NEW MUSICAL HEADING TO THE REGION NEXT YEAR
So if Margaret Brown or anyone else, maybe a prospective employer, could point my daughter to the opportunities available to this "sure-fire money-spinner" I, my wife, and certainly my daughter would be all ears.
No money-spinner; LETTERS
Bialystock and Bloom may have been aiming for a sure-fire flop but this show's a sure-fire hit.
Musical is a sure-fire hit; THE PRODUCERS, Birmingham Hippodrome REVIEWS: Impossible not to laugh at this cracker
It holds a Sure-Fire P/G/Z series flashlight and one pair of standard size handcuffs.
Galco: CFP
Both were sure-fire crowd-pleasers: one required girls under 18 to attain parental consent before getting an abortion and another certifying the anti-gay marriage ballot initiative.
'Restoration Project' recruits clergy for Texas governor's race
While there's no sure-fire way to hire and retain A-team players, personality tests and psychological instruments can help you gauge a candidate's potential fit with your organization.
Personality tests and psychological tools help predict physician behavior
Or, you can follow the lead of successful entrepreneurs who know one sure-fire marketing tool: there's no shame in simply asking a friend to tell a friend.
Grow by referral: create a buzz through word-of-mouth campaigning
Finally, if you reset the indicator and it stays in the red zone after installing a new or clean primary filter element, that is a sure-fire indication of a clogged secondary filter.
A helping hand
Remind clients that buying a stock on the basis of market momentum or only because they like a certain product or service is a sure-fire way to lose money.
Create a sound investment plan for clients: individual investors sometimes prove to be their own worst enemies. CPAs can help them avoid repeating common investment mistakes that could have a dramatic impact on their returns. To help clients establish a well-thought-out investment program, advise them to
"We wanted a sure-fire event that opened the eyes of the superintendents," Briggs concludes.
BASF hits hole-in-one with superintendents' golf tournament
You may be banking on the sure-fire novena or the day-glow scapular, but unless you want to spend from now till doomsday pushing a peanut around purgatory with your nose, I suggest an alternate plan.
Get your apse out of my narthex! A "churchspeak for dummies" guide to fatten your chances of getting past the Pearly Gates
An (almost) sure-fire way to prevent an extension being scuppered at the last minute is to make complex APEX bookings that can't be changed without extreme penalties.
Extending the Pleasure Principle
The hybrid, then, provides not only a sure-fire death benefit, but also a chance for significant contract growth without the kind of worry in a variable universal life policy that negative returns could cause the policy to lapse without infusion of more premium.
New hybrid life policies tackle VUL problems
They are the A-list stars of Country Music and it's sure to be another sure-fire hit with our readers.
HOW TO MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR FREE CD NEXT WEEK ONLY INSIDE
Workplace books are either all pictures or all words, the former tending towards the striking, eccentric, and bizarre, the latter towards anecdotes, repetition, and--especially in US publishing--endless lists of sure-fire ways to achieve this, that or the other.
Office evolution: the twenty first century office