By Running An Extension Cord To The Front Of The House, I Realized I Was Killing Two Birds With One Stone
Learning these English idioms should get you moving!
An idiom is an expression for which its meaning can not be determined by the literal meaning of the words that make up the expression. Such phrases often have interesting and unusual origins. I want to tell you about some of them.
I realized I was killing two birds with one stone.
I live in a lovely middle-class small town of approximately 5000 people. We have an excellent police department that is not likely to show up on the evening news. However, my home is also one block away from a big city of more than one million. A past police chief once said we were like a cavalry fort surrounded by hostile tribes. Due to our location, I've installed Arlo security cameras around our house.
Our security cameras are battery-powered. The one that surveys the front lawn requires charging nearly every week. The company says a battery can stay charged for six months, but our street is too busy. The motion sensor hits every passing car, pedestrian, and delivery person.
When I installed it under the eves in a discrete location, I knew it would have to be charged. I ran a USB power cord out of the camera so I wouldn't have to climb the ladder to charge the unit. I've connected an extension cord weekly to power the battery for a few hours. Doing this so frequently has been tedious and a problem when traveling. Due to shade, connecting the camera to a solar panel is not an option.
My solution was to run an extension cord from an unused backyard outlet. I realized I'd killed two birds with one stone as I hooked everything up. I am powering my camera 24/7, and I have a 14 gauge grounded outlet for yard tools where there was no power before. To kill two birds with one stone means to solve two or more problems with one solution.
One possible origin of the expression refers to the Greek mythology story of" Daedalus and Icarus," Daedalus kills two birds with one stone to use their feathers to build wings so that the father and son can escape from Crete. Although the exact wording is used, I don't believe this is the origin of today's meaning. A more likely source is from 1656. "T. H. thinks to kill two birds with one stone, and satisfie two Arguments with one answer, whereas in truth he satisfieth neither." was noted in "The Questions Concerning Liberty, Necessity, and Chance" written by Thomas Hobbes. ( www.theidioms.com)
Given the political climate at the time, my wife and I decided to pull up stakes and move to the big city.
My wife and I used to live in a rural town. The politics of the small community became problematic, so we decided to pull up stakes. When someone pulls up stakes, it means they are moving.
Pulling up stakes is an American version of the British expression pulling up sticks. The American version traces its origin back to the colonization of North America. Colonies were established by placing a poles fence, called a palisade, embedded in the earth around the compound. Moving the compound required pulling up the stakes that made up the fortification. (grammarist.com)
Come on, folks! If we want to get there on time, we must shake a leg.
The current meaning of shake a leg is to hurry. The origin is not precisely clear. One documented source heralds the American Civil War of the 1860s. Injuries at that time were particularly horrific due to large gauge bullets and grapeshot. After a battle, medics in the field often had difficulty discerning the living from the dead. They would call out across the battlefield, "Shake a leg." The intent was to encourage the living to move a leg to show they were alive.
Another reference to the meaning comes from the 1600s, in which shake a leg means to dance. (grammarist.com)
Since neither of these sources specifically calls on the need to hurry, I favor a different explanation and origin.
I think the naval term, show a leg, is the origin of shake a leg. In the British navy of the 1700s, it was common for sailors' wives to accompany them on long voyages. It would be difficult for the boatswain to discern male or female in the bunks or hammocks when calling the next watch in the darkened holds of crew's quarters. Thus, it became common for boatswains to call out "show a leg." A smooth hairless leg or a shapely one covered by a fine stocking would be allowed to sleep. A hairy tattooed leg would be required to rise for duty. I can imagine the boatswain of the watch, calling out, "Rise and shine, you boggards. Shake a leg!" to rally the crew to their posts for watch duty. (Naval History and Heritage Command)
Copyright 2022 Harold Zeitung All Rights Reserved
Disclosure: This story has been edited by Grammarly.com
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