A double-edged sword is something that brings a benefit and, because of that same benefit, causes a problem. A blade with two edges cuts the enemy but can also cut its owner. Flexible hours are a double-edged sword: they're convenient, but work spreads into your evenings. People often say it about technology, fame, money and big decisions.
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something is / can be a double-edged sword; a double-edged sword: benefit + drawback
- Instant replies can be a double-edged sword: they solve problems quickly but create pressure to stay available.
- The café's sudden popularity was a double-edged sword, bringing more customers and much longer queues.
- Flexible hours are a double-edged sword when the boundary between work and rest disappears.
What changed
First versionPublic attention can be a double-edge sword.
RevisionPublic attention can be a double-edged sword.
The -ed is almost silent before sword, so many people write double-edge. But it's an adjective meaning having two edges, and the -ed ending is required: double-edged sword. The -ed was added.
A blessing in disguise is the opposite: something bad that later turns out to be good: Losing that job was a blessing in disguise. A double-edged sword has the good and the bad in one thing at once. Pros and cons is a neutral list, while the idiom stresses that the downside grows out of the upside.
Your turn
Which situation fits a double-edged sword?
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A new tool saves time but makes errors harder to notice. — Saving time immediately leads to missed errors: the benefit and the harm come from the same thing. Cheap and easy to use are two advantages, with no downside.
Write about a thing or decision whose main advantage creates a problem: a smartphone, remote work, popularity.
Remote access is a double-edged sword: I can work anywhere, but I find it harder to switch off.
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