Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Having two cutting edges.
  • adjective Effective or capable of being interpreted in two ways.
  • adjective Having a dual purpose.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Having two edges.
  • Figuratively, cutting or working both ways: applied to an argument which makes both for and against the person omploying it, or to any statement having a double meaning.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective not comparable Describing a blade, such as a sword or knife, that is sharp on both edges.
  • adjective comparable, figuratively Describing something that is as dangerous for the user as the one it is used on.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective capable of being interpreted in two usually contradictory ways

Etymologies

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