zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen
to kill two birds with one stone
Origin
Origin not finally settled; often linked to the Grimm tale of the brave little tailor (seven at one blow) and to swatting flies with a "Klappe" as a sign of special skill.
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- Pronoun 'sie' (she/it, singular, nominative)Pronomen 'sie' (Singular, Nominativ)
- Pronoun 'sie' (they, plural, nominative)Pronomen 'sie' (Plural, Nominativ)
- Pronoun 'Sie' (you, formal, nominative)Pronomen 'Sie' (formell, Nominativ)
- Verb 'haben' (to have), present: ich habe (I have)Verb 'haben' im Präsens: ich habe
- Noun + preposition: 'Angst vor' (fear of, + dative)Nomen + Präposition: 'Angst vor' (+ Dat.)
Examples
Wenn ich auf dem einkaufe, schlage ich Fliegen mit einer .
If I shop on the way home, I kill two birds with one stone.