IdiomAnimals
Portuguese
PortugueseMatar dois coelhos com uma cajadada só
Meaning: To get two benefits from a single effort.
Literally: To kill two rabbits with one blow of the stick
Example: “Vou ao banco e aproveito para almoçar com a minha irmã. Mato dois coelhos com uma cajadada só.” — I'm going to the bank and having lunch with my sister while I'm at it: two birds with one stone.
English equivalent: To kill two birds with one stone
Equivalents in other languages
Korean: 꿩 먹고 알 먹고 (Kkwong meokgo al meokgo) Literally: Eating the pheasant and its egg too
French: Faire d'une pierre deux coups Literally: To make two blows with one stone
Italian: Prendere due piccioni con una fava Literally: To catch two pigeons with one fava bean
Indonesian: Sambil menyelam minum air Literally: While diving, drink water
Chinese: 一箭双雕 (Yī jiàn shuāng diāo) Literally: One arrow, two hawks
English: kill two birds with one stone
Spanish: Matar dos pájaros de un tiro Literally: To kill two birds with one shot
Japanese: 一石二鳥 (Isseki nichō) Literally: One stone, two birds
German: Zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen Literally: To swat two flies with one swatter
Dutch: Twee vliegen in één klap slaan Literally: To swat two flies in one blow
Polish: Upiec dwie pieczenie na jednym ogniu Literally: To roast two roasts on one fire
Turkish: Bir taşla iki kuş vurmak Literally: To hit two birds with one stone
Origin: A cajadada is a blow from a cajado, a shepherd's crook or walking stick. The saying also comes without só ("only"), as matar dois coelhos de uma cajadada, or with paulada, a blow from any stick. No first use is documented.
More Portuguese idioms
- Diz o roto ao nu: porque não te vestes tu? Said when someone criticizes another for a fault they share.
- Engolir sapos To put up with unpleasant things without complaining.
- Pagar o pato To take the blame for something you didn't do.
- Descascar o abacaxi To solve a very difficult, thorny problem.
- Empurrar com a barriga To procrastinate; to keep delaying something.
- Matar a cobra e mostrar o pau To prove you actually did what you claim.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Cá se fazem, cá se pagam Wrongs are paid for in this life, not the next.
- Quem não tem cão caça com gato If you don't have the ideal means, you make do with what you have.
- Quando um não quer, dois não brigam A quarrel needs two willing sides; one person can always refuse it.
Keep exploring