A double-edged sword cuts both ways

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But not in the way we usually mean. Usually, this expression means:

  • Two opposing sides are both affected (honesty cuts both ways)
  • There are both good and bad effects (unlimited credit increases your spending power but also increases debt)

However, there is no “mixed blessing” in being cut by a real double-edged sword, which is designed to inflict as much damage as possible with a single thrust (two fatal cuts for the price of one).

Nor is a double-edged sword supposed to affect both parties equally. In a stabbing transaction, the person at the pointy end of a two-edged sword feels the full effects of both cuts.

(Posted on FB June 18, 2015)

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