Idiom
Kill two birds with one stone
To kill two birds with one stone means to get two things done with a single action or effort.
How people use it
People use it for smart, efficient choices, such as picking up groceries on the way home from the gym. It is informal to neutral and very common. Some people now use gentler playful versions, such as "feed two birds with one scone," but the original phrase is still the standard form. It refers to saving time or effort, not to harming anything.
Examples
- I'll drop off the library books on my way to the dentist and kill two birds with one stone.
- Biking to work kills two birds with one stone, giving me exercise and no traffic.
- We killed two birds with one stone by holding the birthday party at the family reunion.
Where it comes from
The proverb is old. A form of it appears in English in the 1600s, including in the writing of the philosopher Thomas Hobbes, and similar sayings exist in many other languages. Its exact first source is not known.
Check yourself
1. What does it mean to kill two birds with one stone?
Answer: To finish two tasks with one action. The idiom is about efficiency, getting two results from one effort.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: Priya killed two birds with one stone by studying for her test on the bus to work.. She commutes and studies at the same time.
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