I’d argue if you are speaking on the sharpness of an item it would be implied that they are supposed to be sharp. “Sharpest tool in the shed” discounts the hammer you have in there as useless when it just might not be the right tool for the job but it implies the need for a sharp tool currently.
I was only commenting on them not understanding how it’s implied that all the pencils in the box should be sharp. The fact that the overall comeback is not fully thought through never came up. I never mentioned the condition of a new vs used tool. My point was that the quote is pointed to imply he should be sharp and not dull in this situation so everything else he’s compared to would presumably be sharp. I don’t know where you thought I had missed or implied otherwise, all around I don’t know what you’re on about.
I’d argue if you are speaking on the sharpness of an item it would be implied that they are supposed to be sharp. “Sharpest tool in the shed” discounts the hammer you have in there as useless when it just might not be the right tool for the job but it implies the need for a sharp tool currently.
I mean, it’s not that complicated. The opposite of sharp is dull, which is a term for not being smart.
But the shape a tool is in isn’t necessarily indicative of the amount of use, so the metaphor isn’t transferrable in that way.
I was only commenting on them not understanding how it’s implied that all the pencils in the box should be sharp. The fact that the overall comeback is not fully thought through never came up. I never mentioned the condition of a new vs used tool. My point was that the quote is pointed to imply he should be sharp and not dull in this situation so everything else he’s compared to would presumably be sharp. I don’t know where you thought I had missed or implied otherwise, all around I don’t know what you’re on about.