double-edged sword

English
A pair of literal double-edged swords.

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 سَيْف ذُو حَدَيْن‎ (sayf ḏū ḥadayn, “double-edged sword”). In the Bible, the word of God is described as being sharper than a double-edged sword.

The metaphor is first attested to in English in the 15th century. It is not to be confused with a double-ended sword.

Pronunciation
  • Audio (AU)(file)

Noun

double-edged sword (plural double-edged swords)

  1. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see double-edged,‎ sword.
  2. (idiomatic) A benefit that is also a liability, or (a benefit) that carries some significant but not-so-obvious cost or risk.

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See also
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