cut both ways


Have a mixed effect, have advantages and disadvantages. For example, Their solution will cut both ways; it'll take longer but is permanent. This metaphoric expression alludes to a double-edged sword. [c. 1600]

Words Nearby cut both ways

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

How to use cut both ways in a sentence

  • It cut both ways, as often as not in point of fact, his experience told him.

    Aletta | Bertram Mitford
  • They were little two-edged swords which might cut both ways.

    Confessions of a Neurasthenic | William Taylor Marrs