cuts both ways
Advantages and disadvantages
Something that cuts both ways has both favorable and unfavorable consequences, or applies equally to opposing sides of an argument.
A sword that cuts both ways can wound your enemy or yourself.
The new policy cuts both ways—it saves money but reduces flexibility.
That logic cuts both ways, you know.
- double-edgedHaving opposite effects
- riskPossibility of harm
- advantageFavorable position or circumstance
- edgeBoundary or sharpness
- consequenceResult of an action
drawback · reciprocity · benefit · balance · boomerang effect · implication · ambivalence · symmetry · dichotomy · trade-offs · double bind · yin-yang · unintended consequences · positive · effect · mutuality · give and take · tit for tat
cuts both waysone-sided
Unfairly weighted toward one
unilateral · one-way · one-way street · asymmetrical · lopsided
cuts both wayswin-win
Advantageous to both sides
lose-lose · no strings attached · harmless · risk-free · slam dunk
cuts both waysstraightforward
Clear and uncomplicated
simple · uncomplicated · clear-cut · black and white · unambiguous