two birds with one stone

English

Etymology

From the phrase kill two birds with one stone.

Pronunciation

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Noun

two birds with one stone pl (plural only)

1. (idiomatic) Any two things that were performed or completed at the same time by one action.
   • 1985 August 17, Janice Irvine, quoting Nan Hunter, “Meese's Crew Looks at Porn”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 6, page 3:

     They talk about how 'these places' [pornographic bookstores] are gathering spots for homosexuals. The implication is that if you close down 'these places' you get two birds with one stone.

   • 2022 September 27, Barclay Bram, “My Therapist, the Robot”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     On another occasion, when trying to brainstorm things I could do to make myself feel better despite all the pandemic restrictions, Woebot suggested I “try doing something nice for someone in your life,” like make a calming tea for my housemate or check in with a loved one. I poured my mum some chamomile: Two birds, one stone.

Related terms

• twofer

Translations

two things by one action

• Arabic: عُصْفُورَان بِحَجَر وَاحِد (ʕuṣfūrān biḥajar wāḥid), طَائِرَان بِحَجَر وَاحِد (ṭāʔirān biḥajar wāḥid)
• Danish: to fluer med et smæk
• Dutch: twee vliegen in een klap (literally “two flies in one clap”)
• French: d’une pierre deux coups
• German: zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe f pl
• Greek: μ' ένα σμπάρο δυο τρυγόνια (m' éna smpáro dyo trygónia)
• Hungarian: két legyet egy csapásra
• Icelandic: tvær flugur í einu höggi
• Irish: dhá éan leis an urchar amháin
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: to fluer i én/ett smekk

• Turkish: bir taşla iki kuş
• Yiddish: האַרגענען צװײ פֿליגן מיט ײן קלאַפּ (hargenen tsvey flign mit eyn klap, literally “strike two flies with one blow”), שיסן צװײ האָזן מיט ײן שאָס (shisn tsvey hozn mit eyn shos, literally “shoot two hares with one shot”), כאַפּן צען סאָראָקעס בײַ איין וויידל (khapn tsen sorokes bay eyn veydl, literally “catch ten magpies by one tail”)