Editing Silver bullet (section)

{{Short description|Folkloric weapon}}
{{Other uses|Silver Bullet (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Lone Ranger Silver Bullet.jpg|thumb|A prop silver bullet, as used by the [[Lone Ranger]]; the effectiveness of real silver bullets compared to lead ones is not entirely known.]]
In [[folklore]], a '''silver bullet''' is often one of the few weapons that are effective against a [[werewolf]], [[vampire]], [[witch]], or other supernatural being.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |editor-last=Guiley |editor-first=Rosemary |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Vampires & Werewolves |edition=2nd |title=Silver |year=2011 |publisher=Checkmark Books |page=313}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |editor-last=Bunson |editor-first=Matthew |encyclopedia=The Vampire Encyclopedia |title=Silver Bullet |year=1993 |publisher=Gramercy Books |page=240}}</ref>

The term ''silver bullet'' is also a metaphor for a simple, seemingly magical, solution to a difficult problem: for example, [[penicillin]] {{circa|1930}} was a "silver bullet" or [[magic bullet (medicine)|magic bullet]] that allowed doctors to treat and successfully cure many [[bacterial infections]].