Slang dictionary
double-edged sword
[ duhb-uhl ejd sawrd ]
黑料网 does听double-edged听sword mean?
Literally, a double-edged sword is a sword that has two sharpened edges. Figuratively, double-edged sword refers to something that has both good and bad consequences.
When you鈥檙e wielding a double-edged sword, you have to be careful that you don鈥檛 cut yourself when you鈥檙e trying to swing it at an opponent. Such a sword can be helpful (in striking your opponent) and harmful (if you strike yourself).
If something is a double-edged sword, it will help you or be good for you but will also most likely hurt you or have a harmful cost.
Example: My new car is a double-edged sword, getting me to work but costing me a lot of money in gas and insurance.
Where does double-edged sword come from?
The first records of the figurative sense of double-edged sword come from around the 1400s. This sense seems to be based on an idea that a sword with two edges poses a danger of bouncing back and cutting its own wielder.
Swords have been around since about 3000 BCE and by the Middle Ages double-edged swords, such as the longsword, were common. There is an idea that compared to a single-edged sword, such as the katana, a double-edged sword is more dangerous to the sword wielder.
Double-edged sword is a popular term for objects, strategies, events, or decisions that will help a person but also harm them. Double-edged sword is used to describe both small and large situations. For example, buying a puppy may be considered a double-edged sword because your children will have a friend to play with but you will have an animal to take care of. Similarly, social media is often a double-edged sword for many people because it provides an easy way to reach a lot of people but also provides an easy way to embarrass yourself in front of a lot of people.
Examples of double-edged sword
Who uses double-edged sword?
Double-edged sword is a popular phrase that is used to describe things that are good and bad at the same time.
Fear is such a double edged sword. You need some fear to keep you on track. But too much fear paralyzes you.
— Tai Lopez (@tailopez)
Being too honest is a double edged sword
— Cinnamon girl 鉁� (@caturradelrey)
Admiral Brett Giroir, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, says there is no downside to wearing a mask after President Trump calls it a "double edged sword"
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics)
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of double-edged sword like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of double-edged sword that will help our users expand their word mastery.