work like a charm
Succeed beyond expectations
To work like a charm is to succeed perfectly, often with surprising ease: I was skeptical, but the home remedy worked like a charm.
The phrase suggests something almost magical about the effectiveness—charm here echoing its older sense of a magic spell.
Things that work like a charm tend to solve problems immediately and completely.
- flawlesslyWithout any defects
- perfectlyWithout any flaw
- magicSupernatural or illusory power
- smoothWithout roughness or difficulty
- smooth sailingUntroubled progress forward
effortless · no sweat · success · trick · spell · lucky · seamless · breeze · piece of cake · snap · cinch · presto · abracadabra · miracle · foolproof · surefire · winner · jackpot
work like a charmfail miserably
fall flat · backfire · bomb · flop · blow up in one's face
work like a charmmalfunction
Failure to operate properly
sputter · act up · break down · conk out
work, works, worked, working, worker, workers, workable, workman, workmanship