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PaperclipPerfector  8d ago (text post)   2572 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for February 14, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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trying to skin two cats with one sharp stone

Wait, why would you want to have more than one sharp stone, if you're skinning cats one at a time?

You have conflated two separate proverbs: "Kill two birds with one stone" and "There are more than one way to skin a cat".

If you're hunting birds with a sling, it's hard enough to hit one bird, let alone two, let alone actually manage to kill them. So "kill two birds with one stone" implies something highly improbable.

If you are skinning an animal, you may have your preferred method, and someone else may have a different approach. And if your method isn't getting the job done, maybe another method will. So "there are more than one way to skin a cat" is a reminder to focus on the goal and not get hung up on a method.

If you're hunting birds with a sling, it's hard enough to hit one bird, let alone two, let alone actually manage to kill them. So "kill two birds with one stone" implies something highly improbable.

I believe it's actually meant to imply something that's highly efficient, not improbable. You are killing two targets with one shot. From what I understand, slings can be very accurate and hitting a bird might not be that difficult.

But how would that even work, with a single stone in one throw? Does the stone ricochet off of the first-hit bird to the second-hit bird? Or does the stone go bullet-like through the first bird and hit the bird behind it?

I believe the term would be a joke, an intentional mixing of metaphors at the very least.

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