IdiomFood & Drink
Polish
PolishUpiec dwie pieczenie na jednym ogniu
Meaning: To achieve two goals on one occasion.
Literally: To roast two roasts on one fire
Example: “Pojadę do Krakowa na konferencję i przy okazji odwiedzę babcię. Upiekę dwie pieczenie na jednym ogniu.” — I'll go to Kraków for the conference and visit Grandma while I'm there: 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
Portuguese: Matar dois coelhos com uma cajadada só Literally: To kill two rabbits with one blow of the stick
Turkish: Bir taşla iki kuş vurmak Literally: To hit two birds with one stone
Origin: The picture is a cook getting two roasts out of one fire. Polish says it with na or przy jednym ogniu ("on" or "by one fire"), and sometimes with kilka pieczeni, "several roasts." No first use is documented.
More Polish idioms
- Przyganiał kocioł garnkowi Someone points out faults in others that they have themselves; usually said in reply to c…
- Gra niewarta świeczki It doesn't pay; the effort costs more than it brings.
- Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy Not my problem; I'm not getting involved.
- Gdzie raki zimują To be in serious trouble; to learn a harsh lesson.
- Musztarda po obiedzie Too late to be of any use.
- Rzucać grochem o ścianę To plead with someone who will not listen.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Ząb, zupa zębowa; dąb, zupa dębowa. Drills the nasal vowels ą and ę, which only differ from plain a and e by the nasal hum.
- W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie i Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie. The opening of a poem by Julian Tuwim, now Poland's most-quoted tongue twister — the cons…
- Stół z powyłamywanymi nogami. Six words, almost no vowels — a single noun phrase that non-Polish speakers find impossib…
Keep exploring