Faire d'une pierre deux coups

Close-Up Of Mallard Ducks Perching On Stone By Lake
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The French proverb faire d'une pierre deux coups seems a little more humane than its English equivalent, "to kill two birds with one stone," but there's no telling what the two jobs are—the proverbial stone could be killing birds, or it might be knocking cans off a wall or striking two windows at once. Of course, this is all very literal; the proverb is really talking about efficiency, getting two things done at the same time instead of just one.

Pronunciation: [fehr dun pyehr deu koo]

Meaning: to kill two birds with one stone

Literal translation: to strike twice with one stone, to do two jobs with one stone

Register: normal

Examples

Si tu viens avec moi, on peut faire d'une pierre deux coups.

If you come with me, we can kill two birds with one stone.

J'ai fait d'une pierre deux coups : en rentrant de la poste, je suis passé par le pressing pour récupérer ta veste.

I killed two birds with one stone: on my way back from the post office, I went to the dry-cleaner's and picked up your jacket.

Synonymous expression: Faire coup double

Related expression: Faire un coup (informal) - to do a job, particularly something illegal

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Team, ThoughtCo. "Faire d'une pierre deux coups." ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/faire-dune-pierre-deux-coups-1371217. Team, ThoughtCo. (2021, December 6). Faire d'une pierre deux coups. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/faire-dune-pierre-deux-coups-1371217 Team, ThoughtCo. "Faire d'une pierre deux coups." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/faire-dune-pierre-deux-coups-1371217 (accessed March 19, 2024).