Transcript of AE 1413 - Expression: Kill Two Birds With One Stone

You ever have one of those days where your to-do list feels longer than the day itself? You've got errands to run, emails to answer, dinner to cook, and somehow you're trying to do all three things at once.

Maybe you're on the phone while walking the dog. Maybe you're listening to a podcast while commuting to work. Or maybe you plan your grocery shopping so you can grab the parcel from the post office at the same time.

When that happens, it feels pretty satisfying, right? One action. Two problems solved. Saving time, saving effort, and feeling a bit clever about it too.

English actually has a fantastic expression for moments just like this. When one smart move helps you accomplish more than one goal at once.

And today, you're going to learn it. Let's go.

G'day, you mob! Welcome to Aussie English. I'm your host, Pete. And my objective here is to teach you guys the English spoken Down Under. So whether you want to sound like a fair dinkum Aussie or you just want to understand what the flippin' hell we're on about when we're having a yarn. You've come to the right place. So sit back, grab a cuppa and enjoy Aussie English. Let's go.

G'day you mob. Welcome back to the Aussie English Podcast. I am your host, Pete Smissen, and this is the number one place for anyone and everyone wanting to learn Australian English. Today we're going to go over the expression "to kill two birds with one stone". "To kill two birds with one stone".

Remember, before we get into it, you can get the free downloadable PDF for this episode. It'll be linked in the description. You will get the exercises in there. The description of the different words in the expression, its meaning, the pronunciation, exercise, everything like that in there too. It's a little cheat sheet for today's episode to help you learn. So go and check that out, it'll be linked in the description.

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AussieEnglish.com.au/podcast Once again, AussieEnglish.com.au/podcast.

So how have you guys been? What have you been up to recently? I wonder if I've told you. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it recently, but I got back into cacti and succulents.

So growing cacti and succulents, these desert plants, desert adapted arid adapted plants, you know, they live in very dry conditions where water is not very accessible. It doesn't rain very frequently.

And I am absolutely in love with a handful of genera. So groups, types of these cacti in particular from South America and Central America. The genera are Astrophytum, Ariocarpus, and Copiapoa. Or Copiapoa, depending on how you want to pronounce it.

And they are from places like Southern America in like Texas area, Mexico. And then the Copiapoa are from Chile, I believe, or Chile, right, up in the Atacama Desert there, where it's got all this fog that comes in, but it never rains. It's really dry, but it has this ocean fog that the cacti are able to kind of take the moisture out of each day.

So anyway, I've been nerding out with that. And my favourite thing at the moment is, because it's sort of the end of summer, the flowers keep coming out. And cacti, if you don't know, have beautiful flowers, really vibrant colours, you know, absolutely gorgeous.

And I've been pollinating different cacti, you know, hoping to create seeds. And I got a whole bunch recently from some of the pollinations crosses that I did. So I'm looking forward to growing those out this year. But yeah, that's what I've been up to. Growing cacti, nerding out about cacti.

And if you guys have interesting hobbies like that, whether you're into plants or, you know, guitar or fishing or whatever it is, send me a message and let me know what it is you like doing? You know, send me a message on Instagram or on Facebook. Say g'day, and tell me about your hobbies because I love hearing from you guys. And I love hearing about what you guys get up to in your spare time as well.

Okay, so the expression: "kill two birds with one stone". That's today's focus. Oh, but before we get into that, we're going to go through the joke, don't we? Okay, slap the bird, guys, and let's get into today's joke.

Alright, so I wanted to connect this joke to the expression "kill two birds with one stone". Could have gone one of two ways. I could have either talked about stones or birds. And I talked about birds. Okay, well, the joke is about birds. All right, so here's the joke. Here's the joke.

"Why do Australians laugh at flightless birds?" Hmm? "Why do Australians laugh at flightless birds?"

So, birds that cannot fly.

"They find them emu-sing."

Ugh! So it's- oh, God. Do you get it, guys? You get it. So. Australia's largest flightless bird. I don't know, is it our only flightless bird? There must be a few. I think we've got quails as well. So it's probably the largest of all the different flightless birds we have here.

It's the emu, right? That huge, weird looking bird that's got, like a really big body. It stands about as tall as a human, you know, it's got its head on a stalk, and they're just, they're just weird. They're just weird looking animals. Right?

And especially when they're running because they kind of have this little, I don't know, would you say- they're kind of like up and down when they're running, jiggling about? It's kind of they're kind of amusing, you know, they're humorous, they're "emu-sing".

So the joke is about that bird, you know, why do Australians laugh at flightless birds, aka "emus". And the word "amusing", right? Or "amusing", if you want to say it with a schwa at the start of the word. "Amusing", meaning funny or humorous.

And here we're pronouncing it like the word /ˈiːmjuː/, right? The bird.

So, "Why do Australians laugh at flightless birds?" "They find them emu-sing!"

Why is it like men, especially dads, that just the dumber the joke, the funnier it is? Like every time I try and tell my wife these sorts of jokes, or my sister or my mum, they kind of roll their eyes and they're just like, that's so dumb, Pete. Like, ugh.

And I'm like, Why? Does every joke have to be super clever? Why can't they be funny? Because they're dumb. Like that's the, that's, that's the humour in it, right? It doesn't have to be super clever. It can be silly. And that's why it's funny.

Okay, so I don't know, why is it that- is it just men? Women? You guys listening? Do you find these funny or are you, are you all collectively rolling your eyes every time I get around to the joke in these episodes?

[That was good, wasn't it? It was good for a bit of a giggle anyway.].

All right. Anyway, fun aside, fun aside, let's get into today's expression, "to kill two birds with one stone". "To kill two birds with one stone".

All right, so "to kill". If you "kill" something, this is a verb, to cause the death of something. But here it's kind of being used figuratively, meaning to solve or achieve something effectively, right?

"We killed two problems with one solution." We killed that issue, right? It's kind of like dealt with. You know the problem. It's not a problem anymore. So figuratively speaking, it's dead. I guess "to kill". To "kill" in this sense.

"Two", obviously a noun, right? The number, the number two. "Where two roads meet, it is an intersection." "two".

"Birds". Another noun, the plural of the word "bird". A feathered animal, right? An avian animal. But here in this expression, it represents two separate tasks or goals, right? "The park was full of singing birds."

"With". This is a preposition showing the tool or method that is used to do something. "He cut the rope with scissors."

"One". Again now, we're back to numbers. The number one. I'm sure you will know the number one symbolising here a single action. "Only one person showed up."

And lastly, another noun, "stone". A small rock, representing a single effort or method that achieves multiple things here. "He skipped a stone across the river."

So, do you understand the expression "to kill two birds with one stone"? The figurative idea here, if you "kill two birds with one stone", it means you complete two tasks or achieve two goals in a single action.

So, one course of action, one thing that you've done has resulted in the completion of two tasks or the achievement of two goals, right. So it's like a smart, efficient and resourceful way of doing something. "To kill two birds with one stone".

Now I looked into where this came from because it seems to be pretty ubiquitous, across different languages, right? Like, I'm pretty sure in Portuguese at least they have something similar. I think it's like effect- it translates as "two rabbits killed with a single spear throw" or "a single spear throw killing two rabbits". So it is interesting how different languages have that same idea of efficiency, being two animals killed by one, you know, rock or spear or something.

But in English, the idiom dates back to ancient times and likely comes from Greek or Roman legends, where hunters were praised for their accuracy, striking more than one bird with a single throw. By the 1600s, the phrase had spread into English, appearing in collections like the Dictionary of English Proverbs from 1632. Since then, it's been used to describe clever situations that achieve multiple results from everyday life to business strategies.

So, in short, "kill two birds with one stone". It is to achieve two goals at once.

Okay, so as usual, let's go through some everyday scenarios, some everyday examples of how and when you could use this expression "to kill two birds with one stone".

So number one, imagine someone looking at their Saturday morning and realising it's already packed, right? They've already got loads of stuff that they need to do. There's a parcel that needs to be posted. They have to buy groceries and they have barely enough time before the shops get busy.

Instead of making two separate trips across town, they noticed something helpful. The post office is right next to a supermarket. So they plan it carefully. One drive, one park, one walk in and out. And as they grab the shopping trolley, they think this will kill two birds with one stone. One simple decision takes care of two jobs at once, saving time, fuel and a bit of stress before the weekend even really starts.

Example number two. Picture someone who wants to improve their English but always feels too busy right? Works full on evenings disappear and sitting down to study feels impossible. Then they realise something every morning. There's already a long walk with the dog. Same route, same time every day. So instead of silence, they start listening to an English podcast.

Hopefully the Aussie English Podcast, whilst walking the dog! Nothing extra added to the schedule. No extra time needed. Suddenly learning just fits into life. So that's when it clicks. They're killing two birds with one stone. They're getting exercise and improving their English at the same time.

Example number three. Imagine someone who's been meaning to catch up with a friend for weeks. At the same time, there's a work proposal that needs talking through. Nothing formal, just a proper conversation.

Instead of scheduling two separate meetings, they suggest lunch at a cafe. One hour, one table for two purposes. They talk business over coffee, then relax and catch up properly once the work's done. Walking away, it feels efficient and enjoyable. That's a classic case of killing two birds with one stone. Handling work and keeping friendships alive in one go.

Okay, so hopefully now, guys, you understand the expression "to kill two birds with one stone". When one action solves two problems, when time and effort lines up perfectly, that's when English reaches for this phrase, right? "To kill two birds with one stone".

[Would you like a car-donay, Kylie? No, the correct pronunciation is Chardonnay. Mum, tt's French, the H is silent! Back me up here, Kylie!].

All right, as usual, let's go through a little speaking and pronunciation exercise where you can work on your Australian English pronunciation. Listen to these phrases as I read them out, and then try and pronounce them exactly as I do.

If you're working on your Australian pronunciation. Pay attention to linking and two vowel sounds, consonant clusters, everything like that that's going on.

If you're working on a different accent, as I always say, that's fine. No stress. Just instead use the phrases to prompt you to say it in the accent that you're practising, whether it's British English or American English, doesn't matter. Okay, so are you ready? Listen and repeat after me.

I killed two birds with one stone.

You killed two birds with one stone.

He killed two birds with one stone.

She killed two birds with one stone.

We killed two birds with one stone.

They killed two birds with one stone.

It killed two birds with one stone.

Good job. So. All right, if we break down a little bit of pronunciation here. If I give you some tips and tricks, what are some of the cool things that were happening in these these phrases? "I killed two birds with one stone."

Firstly, you'll notice that Dark L in the word "killed". So instead of saying "killed" with a Light L, I will use a Dark L where I do it with my lips. It's kind of like a reverse W sound. Instead of saying 'wuh', I do the opposite 'oh', right. My lips come into a tight ring like I'm about to whistle. So here, instead of saying "killed" with a strong L, I will use that Dark L, and I'll use my lips to make the sound.

/kɪld/, /kɪld/, /kɪld/. So my tongue doesn't do anything. It just says the vowel sound /ɪ/ /kɪld/, right. /kɪld/. And then the D at the end. /kɪld/. /kɪld/.

The other thing you'll notice is that with the D and then a T after it, it kind of merges into a single sound. So instead of "I killed two birds", where you have this D and then a T sound, they kind of merge together because it's the same position in your mouth.

When you make a T sound or a D sound, one of them is Voiced, the D; one of them is Unvoiced T, but they're exactly the same movement, the the same articulation of your tongue in your mouth.

So here they merge together. "I killed two", so you'll sort of mute the D and then when you release it, you're using- you're aspirating. You're pushing air out to make the T sound. /kɪld tuː/, /kɪld tuː/.

So it's like you're using the first half of the D and the second half of the T, and you're making it into a single sound. /aɪ kɪld tuː/, /aɪ kɪld tuː/, /aɪ kɪld tuː/.

And you'll notice there's a little pause: /kɪld tuː/ right? You don't say "kill two", you say /kɪld tuː/. And that tells me ah, he's muting a D and then saying a T. There's two of those sounds in there. It's not just one, right? /kɪl tuː/ /kɪl tuː/ /kɪl tuː/ /kɪl tuː/. If it was just one sound /kɪld tuː/ /kɪld tuː/.

I know that's advanced. I know it's advanced, but hopefully it just means next time you hear this, you go over this exercise or you hear this kind of thing happening somewhere, somewhere else.

You'll hear and notice the Dark L and you'll be like, hmm, that sounds like sort of a reverse W, it doesn't sound like a Light L sound. And you'll hear consonants joining together in connected speech like that D and the T. /aɪ kɪld tuː bɜːdz wɪð wʌn stəʊn/. /aɪ kɪld tuː/, /kɪld tuː/.

Remember, guys, if you want to take your Australian pronunciation to the next level, check out my Australian Pronunciation course. Use the link AussieEnglish.com.au/apc100 the link will be in the description. It'll be easy to, to click or copy and paste if you go there.

In the course, you'll learn the International Phonetic Alphabet so that you can study and improve your English by yourself. And you can use dictionaries and AI more effectively to understand all those different sounds in the spelling of English, which is not phonetic. Whereas the International Phonetic Alphabet, as it says in the name, is phonetic. So you can sort of compare and contrast to work out. Are these the same sounds in these words? If you see the IPA, the International Phonetic Alphabet, transcribed next to those words.

In the second section, you will learn how to pronounce all of the different vowel sounds and consonant sounds in Australian English. Each lesson contains detailed tutorials on how to pronounce this sound with your mouth, what you need to do, and then it has some really good exercises for you to do on a regular basis to train that sound so that it becomes natural.

And then in the third section, we go through the more advanced stuff like the Dark L linking sounds, the Australian R sound, the syllabic L and N. How to sound more Australian. These are the little tidbits that really take you from having a bit of an Aussie accent to literally putting together sentences full of words and linking them all together and sounding just like an Aussie.

So if you want to level up your Australian pronunciation, check out the Australian Pronunciation course link in the description AussieEnglish.com.au/apc100. If you use that link, you'll save 100 bucks one more time: AussieEnglish.com.au/apc100.

Alright, so to finish up guys, let's go through the Aussie fact of the day. Today I wanted to talk about Australia's largest stone. When we say kill two birds with one stone, Australia's largest stone gives us a pretty epic science lesson.

Uluru didn't just appear overnight. According to geology, Uluru began forming around 550 million years ago. Back then, the area was covered in rivers and shallow seas, sand, gravel and rock were carried by water and slowly piled up into massive layers. Over time, pressure turned those layers into sandstone.

Then came the clever part. As the land shifted and folded, those rock layers were pushed almost upright, which is why Uluru looks so steep and smooth today. Millions of years of erosion wore away the softer surrounding rock, but Uluru stayed standing.

So one stone tells us a lot at once. It reveals ancient river systems. It shows how continents move, and it explains why the outback landscape looks the way it does. One rock, many scientific stories. That makes Uluru a perfect Aussie example of killing two birds with one stone, right? Teaching us about Earth's history while still standing there quietly doing its job.

Anyway, thank you so much for joining me today, guys. I hope you got a lot out of this episode. Remember to grab the free PDF download link in the description. Check out the premium podcast too if you want to help me out and also level up your English at the same time. That's at AussieEnglish.com.au/podcast.

And besides that, share this episode with a mate who's learning Australian English and drop us a review if you can too. It all helps out. Thanks mate. And I'll see you next time. Tooroo!

All right. That's it for today. If you found this one helpful, leaving a quick review really does help other learners find the podcast. And if you know someone who's learning Aussie English, feel free to share this episode with them too, mate. Thanks for listening and I'll catch you in the next one!