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double-edged sword

noun

Etymology

From the notion that if two sides of the same blade are sharp, it cuts both ways. The metaphor may have originated from the Arabic expression سَيْفٌ ذُو حَدَّيْنِ (sayfun ḏū ḥaddayni, “double-edged sword”) or from the Hebrew expression חֶרֶב פִּיפִיּוֹת (ẖérev pifiyót, “double-mouthed sword”). The metaphor is first attested in English in the 15th century.

  1. derived from in the 15th century
  2. derived from expression חֶרֶב פִּיפִיּוֹת — “double-mouthed sword”

Definitions

  1. A benefit that is also a liability, or (a benefit) that carries some significant but…

    A benefit that is also a liability, or (a benefit) that carries some significant but not-so-obvious cost or risk.

    • He added: “Facebook is a double-edged sword. You don’t want to support it, but you have to use it in order to reach a large audience.”
    • The double-edged sword of movie stardom remains the same as it ever was: when a persona is so fixed in the public mind, it's what people love you for, and it becomes difficult to deviate from.
    • Of course, social media is a double-edged sword, and the opportunity for passengers to communicate their feelings to media teams is not always a happy one.

  2. A neutral principle that has applications that may be either positive (beneficial) or…

    A neutral principle that has applications that may be either positive (beneficial) or negative (adverse) to one's own interests.

    • The unintended ambiguity of the phrase was a double-edged sword: it spurred litigation but it also ended up shielding good-faith actors.

  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically

    Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see double-edged, sword.

The neighborhood

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sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA