an Aladdin's lamp

an Aladdin's lamp

A magical object that allows its owner to make wishes and have them granted. (In The Arabian Nights, Aladdin finds a magic lamp in a cave.) The kids think that old ring they found in the attic is an Aladdin's lamp, but it's really just a piece of junk.
See also: lamp
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

an Aladdin's lamp

a talisman that enables its owner to fulfil every desire.
In the Arabian Nights tale of Aladdin, the hero finds a magic lamp in a cave. He discovers that rubbing it summons a powerful genie who is able to carry out all his wishes.
See also: lamp
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • lamp
  • Attic wit
  • attic
  • Attic salt
  • force (someone or something) off on (someone )
  • cave
  • Aladdin
  • an Aladdin's cave
  • root about
  • have toys in the attic
References in classic literature
He makes his berth an Aladdin's lamp, and lays him down in it; so that in the pitchiest night the ship's black hull still houses an illumination.
"Friede was like a wish come true from an Aladdin's lamp. To me she was as mysterious as the sphinx and as sensual as nightfall in an exotic garden," he says.
That magic shiny box is like an Aladdin's lamp that conjures up anything your heart desires.
"Believe me, I don't have an Aladdin's lamp that if someone says I should apprehend Major Iqbal, I will be able to do it.
It should be a household term around the world - a world in which all the decongestants, inhalers and antihistamines have been flung unceremoniously from windows, and have been replaced by a little plastic, ceramic or metal pot that looks like an Aladdin's lamp, or sometimes, a little teapot.
They think that they are rubbing an Aladdin's lamp. What will happen if the market goes down all at once?
"No doubt you would understand me better," replied the beast, "if I emerged each day in a cloud of smoke from an Aladdin's Lamp, wearing pointy shoes.
Meanwhile, the ladies who run the shop grow curious when they discover an Aladdin's lamp among donations.