убивать двух зайцев

I

• ГОНЯТЬСЯ <ГНАТЬСЯ>/ПОГНАТЬСЯ ЗА ДВУМЯ ЗАЙЦАМИ coll

[VP; subj: human; the verb may take the final position, otherwise fixed WO]

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⇒ to attempt to reach two different goals, accomplish two different things at the same time:

- X погнался за двумя зайцами{{}}≈ X chased two hares at the same time.

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← From the proverb "За двумя зайцами погонишься, ни одного не поймаешь". See 3-37.

II

• УБИВАТЬ/УБИТЬ ДВУХ ЗАЙЦЕВ

[VP; subj: human; usu. pfv]

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⇒ to accomplish two important things at once, realize two goals through a single action (the notion of a single action may either be expressed by adverbials like сразу, одним ударом, одновременно etc, or be implied):

- X убил двух зайцев{{}}≈ X killed two birds with one stone.

     ♦ Я помню растерянный вид Мандельштама, когда мы вернулись домой, поглядев, как происходит изъятие [церковного имущества]... Предложение [патриарха] Тихона [организовать помощь голодающим] отклонили, а теперь вопят, что церковники не жалеют голодающих и прячут свои сокровища. Одним ударом убивали двух зайцев: загребали золото и порочили церковников (Мандельштам 2). I remember the appalled look on M[andelstam]'s face as we returned home after watching the "confiscation" [of church property] for a while. ...[Patriarch] Tikhon's proposal [to organize aid for the starving] had been turned down, and now they were shrieking that the church people had no pity for the starving and were hoarding their treasures. In this way they were killing two birds with one stone: while vilifying the church, they were also grabbing its gold (2a).