Blunt its edge

[gao_yixing]

Hello
There is a sentence in the magazine, The Economist:
The Hungarian minority's party, the HDUR, is a fixture in coalition governments, which has blunted its reforming edge.
How to understand the bold part? What's the meaning of that?
Thanks,
Anthony

 

[cuchuflete]

Greetings gao_yixing,

To blunt an edge is to make something sharp more dull, as happens with an axe or knife when it is used for a long time.

The sentence is just a little ambiguous. It's not clear if the coalition governments have blunted their reforming edge, or if the HDUR has blunted the reforming edge it had.

Are you sure you have copied the sentence exactly?

Edit: I just checked the original, and you have it well copied. I think that it means that participation in coalition governments has blunted the reforming edge of the HDUR. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[gao_yixing]

Greetings gao_yixing,

To blunt an edge is to make something sharp more dull, as happens with an axe or knife when it is used for a long time.

The sentence is just a little ambiguous. It's not clear if the coalition governments have blunted their reforming edge, or if the HDUR has blunted the reforming edge it had.

Are you sure you have copied the sentence exactly?

Edit: I just checked the original, and you have it well copied. I think that it means that participation in coalition governments has blunted the reforming edge of the HDUR. Sorry for the confusion.

Thank you very much.
I think so, too. It's "its" reforming edge, not "their".
Cheers,
Anthony