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Faire d’une pierre deux coups (To kill two birds with one stone)

The French expression “faire d’une pierre deux coups” translates literally to “make two strikes with one stone”. The meaning in English is:

  • to kill two birds with one stone

According to expressio.fr, the expression dates to the 16th century when used by Montaigne. A French-to-French definition suggests that the idiom means to reach two or more objectives with one single action or means.

sample sentence:

  • En arrêtant de fumer, j’ai fait d’une pierre deux coups: J’ai recouvré la santé et j’ai commencé a dépenser moins d’argent. By stopping smoking I killed two birds with one stone: got healthy and started spending less money.

Here are some other expression with the word pierre (stone):

  • apporter sa pierre à l’édifice to play your part, do your bit
  • avoir un cœur de pierre to have a heart of stone
  • geler à pierre fendre to be very cold
  • jeter la pierre à qqn to judge somebody
  • manger au lance-pierre to grab a quick bite to eat
  • marquer qqch d’une pierre blanche to be a landmark event
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David Issokson
David Issokson is the founder and French teacher of Frenchlearner.com. With over 30 years of experience as a French learner and speaker, he is passionate about making the language accessible and enjoyable for everyone. David is dedicated to providing clear, practical, and effective resources to help you master French. Learn more about FrenchLearner on our about us page. Visit davidissokson.com, David's personal website.

David Issokson

David Issokson is the founder and French teacher of Frenchlearner.com. With over 30 years of experience as a French learner and speaker, he is passionate about making the language accessible and enjoyable for everyone. David is dedicated to providing clear, practical, and effective resources to help you master French. Learn more about FrenchLearner on our about us page. Visit davidissokson.com, David's personal website.

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