DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD Definition & Meaning

double-edged sword

[ duhb-uhl-ejd sawrd ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a sword whose blade has two cutting edges:
This game character wields a wide double-edged sword to slice an enemy in two, armor and all, with brute strength.
something whose desirable effects are necessarily accompanied by undesirable ones:
Studying from home is a double-edged sword—you can roll out of bed at 10 a.m. and attend class in your pajamas, but you can skip class with equal ease.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of double-edged sword¹

First recorded in 1580–90

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Although the actor says he enjoys creating the footage, he also admitted it’s become “a little bit of a double-edged sword.”

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"It's a bit of a double-edged sword because we have a number of people who have finally secured employment with Sizewell C, so they are now on good pay," he says.

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Knight's steady, reassuring presence at the helm has been a double-edged sword, and the management's lack of succession planning is now coming back to haunt them at a very tricky time.

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“It’s been a double-edged sword. We took a huge hit there,” he said.

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The massive success of Netflix’s futuristic thriller series “Black Mirror” has left burgeoning filmmakers and storytellers fighting to get their work made using a double-edged sword.

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