Double edged vs two edged

Posted by TheFallen on March 21, 2003

In Reply to: To cut both ways posted by ESC on March 21, 2003

: : First, thanks to all who helped with the previous inquiry - very helpful community!

: : The latest mystery is "to cut both ways". I know what the expression means, but any ideas as to its origin? Google's not yielding too much information.

: : --Dave

: It refers to a "double-edged sword" that cuts both ways.

Given that ESC and I both posted simultaneous answers on this, I thought I'd idly googlefight "two edged sword" versus "double edged sword". The results? A very inconclusive 198,000 hits for two edged, and 184,000 for double edged. My instinct was instantly for two edged. I wonder if it's a UK/US thing?

• Sword sayings from Brewer's ESC 03/21/03
  • Sword sayings from Brewer's ESC 03/21/03