two birds with one stone
Efficient double success
To kill two birds with one stone is to accomplish two objectives with a single action.
The phrase usually appears with verbs like kill, get, or hit: We can get two birds with one stone by visiting mom on the way to the airport.
The image is of a hunter's lucky throw, though the expression is purely figurative—efficiency, not violence.
- killCause death
- one shotSingle unrepeated attempt
- double whammyTwo simultaneous misfortunes
- twoNumber after one
- one fell swoopSingle sudden action
bang for your buck · double duty · efficiency · multitask · time saver · achievement · productivity · resourcefulness · proverbial wisdom · consolidation · strategic planning · synergy · savings · ingenuity · pragmatism · accomplishment · time management · simultaneous
two birds with one stonespinning one's wheels
running in place · chasing one's tail · going nowhere fast · exercise in futility · inefficiency
two birds with one stonethe hard way
Through difficulty, not ease
reinventing the wheel · missing the forest for the trees · ass-backwards · kludge
twinned, twelve, birds, birded, birding, birder, birders, stone, stones