Numbers

Double-Edged Sword

"Double-edged sword" is an expression indicating that an idea or action has both a positive and a negative consequence or meaning.

How It's Used

"For all this influence in Germany, Mr. Ackermann [a Swiss citizen] remains an outsider. He views that as a double-edged sword. ‘I have benefited from a cultural background,’ he said, ‘which has shown me the strengths and weaknesses of the German situation clearer than probably someone who has grown up in the German context.’ On the other hand, he added, ‘you can be used as a scapegoat.’”

"'Giving some celebrities Twitter is like giving a kid a loaded gun,' said Allan Mayer, head of the strategic communications division at the publicity firm 42West. 'Twitter can be enormously valuable as a branding tool. But like everything else, it's a double-edged sword, and if you have impulse control problems -- which strangely a lot of celebrities seem to have -- it can be very dangerous.'"

"And, thanks to their relatively small exposure to export markets (much of their production is for domestic consumption), the eastern states have been relatively unbruised by the economic crisis, shrinking an estimated 4.5 percent in 2009 versus 6 percent nationally. The export question, however, is a double-edged sword—less exposure to foreign markets also means less benefit when those markets begin booming again. 'When the crisis is over, eastern German companies are going to need to find a way to export,' warns Fabian."

"The challenge of persuading patients and doctors to accept such standards requires a transformational shift in thinking, particularly when the disease involved is as prevalent, as deadly, and as potentially curable as cancer. How do you convince them that it is in their best interest to play the odds when they have been conditioned for so long to not gamble on health? After all, for the one in 1,904 women in their 40s whose life would be saved by early detection of breast cancer, taking the risk would in retrospect seem a bad choice.

“'This represents a broader understanding that the efforts to detect cancer early can be a two-edged sword,' said Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, a professor of medicine at Dartmouth who is among the pioneers of research into the negative effects of early detection. 'Yes, it helps some people, but it harms others.'”

"'It’s a double-edged sword,' Randall Beard, a Nielsen executive vice president, said in an interview. 'The saturation of Tiger in the media has heightened the recognition of his sponsor affiliations. But at the same time for these brands, the controversy is contributing to a more negative impact on public perception.'"

Also Known As (AKA)

Double-Edge Sword, Two-Edged Sword

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