GLOSSARY

When we find ourselves in a harmful or 1. __ situation, we need something to correct or 2. __ it. When we are ill, we need something that will 3. __ our health. When we have a legal problem, we need the court to 4. __ a penalty. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had something that would 5. ______ all our ills or correct all our problems? In Croatian we would need only one word (‘lijek’), whereas in English we might need a few more: a cure, medicine, remedy or even panacea. Their meanings are very similar, but there are differences depending on the situation in which they are used.

A cure is an 6. _, such as a drug (pill, tincture, ointment, etc.), that 7. _ the symptoms of a disease and 8. __ health and wellbeing, and as such is synonymous to a remedy. E.g. Experts have been working on a cure for AIDS for years. However, a cure can also be something that corrects or relieves a problematic situation, e.g. A monetary fine would be a good cure for his lateness. Public fund injections may be the miracle cure for many banks during a recession.

In addition to being the art and science of healing, maintaining and restoring health by the prevention and treatment of illness, a medicine also means a medication, cure or remedy, e.g. Laughter is the best medicine. She couldn’t take the medicine her doctor 9. _ while she was pregnant. It also refers to something that corrects a problematic situation, e.g. The ailing financial industry is going to need a strong medicine to pull out of a deepening credit 10. _.

A remedy is a cure for a medical 11. _, e.g. A home remedy is a practical cure or treatment for a medical condition that one does at home. In law, a 12. _ remedy, judicial relief or judicial remedy is an action taken by a court of law to 13. _ a right, impose a penalty, or make some other court order to resolve a 14. _. E.g. Only 50% of clients who sought legal remedies from the court actually obtained the desired compensation.

The panacea, named after the Greek goddess of healing Panacea, was supposed to be a remedy that would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. Medical science, in some sense, continues to look for a ‘panacea’ or an ‘elixir of life’. E.g. Some people believe vitamin C is a panacea for all diseases. This term can also be used less literally: Lower interest rates are not a panacea for all ills 15. __ the economy. Even though our lessons might not be a panacea for all your problems with the English language, we hope we have been able to help you find answers to at least some of your questions or dilemmas.