double-edged sword
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
Etymology
Origin of double-edged sword
First recorded in 1580–90
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
