once bitten, twice shy

English

Alternative forms

• once burned, twice shy
• once hurt, twice shy

Proverb

Once bitten, twice shy.

1. One is cautious in the future if he has been hurt in the past.

Synonyms

• The burnt child dreads the fire.
• A beaten dog may cower before a friendly hand.
• A scalded cat is afraid of cold water.
• Bitten by a snake on one morning, afraid of the rope by the well for ten years.

Translations

one is cautious in the future if hurt in the past

Chinese: Mandarin: 一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井繩 (zh), 一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳 (zh) (yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo, shí nián pà jǐng shéng) (bitten by a snake on one morning, afraid of the rope by the well for ten years) Croatian: tko se jednom opeče, puše i na hladno (hr) Danish: brændt barn skyr ilden (da) Finnish: Siperia opettaa (fi) French: (a scalded cat is afraid of cold water) chat échaudé craint l'eau froide (fr) German: ein gebranntes Kind scheut das Feuer (de) Icelandic: (a child burnt shuns the fire) brennt barn forðast eldinn (is)

Italian: Gatto scottato teme l'acqua fredda (it) Norwegian: brent barn skyr ilden (no) Polish: kto się na gorącym sparzył, ten na zimne dmucha (pl) Portuguese: gato escaldado de água fria tem medo (pt) Russian: обжёгшись на молоке, будешь дуть и на воду (ru) (obžógšis' na moloké, búdeš' dut' i na vódu) (having been burnt by milk, you'll blow onto water), пуганая ворона куста боится (ru) (púganaja voróna kustá boítsja) (a frightened crow is afraid even of the bush) Spanish: gato escaldado del agua fría huye (es) Turkish: sütten ağzı yanan, yoğurdu üfleyerek yer (tr)

References

• Gregory Y. Titelman, Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings, 1996, ISBN 0-679-44554-4, p. 261.