once bitten, twice shy

English

Alternative forms

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

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Proverb

Once bitten, twice shy.

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

Synonyms

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

Related terms

Similar phrases using elliptical causation ("if/then"):

• another day, another dollar
• fall seven times, stand up eight
• finders, keepers
• first come, first served
• in for a penny, in for a pound
• laugh before breakfast, cry before supper
• least said, soonest mended
• mo' money, mo' problems
• no body, no crime
• no cross, no crown
• no fears, no tears
• no guts, no glory
• no harm, no foul
• no hero, no villain
• no losers, no winners
• no pain, no gain
• nothing ventured, nothing gained
• out of sight, out of mind
• waste not, want not

Translations

one is cautious in the future if hurt in the past

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井繩／一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳 (zh) (yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo, shí nián pà jǐng shéng), 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)

• Danish: brændt barn skyr ilden
• Dutch: door schade en schande wordt men wijs, een ezel stoot zich geen tweemaal aan dezelfde steen
• Finnish: Siperia opettaa
• French: chat échaudé craint l’eau froide (fr) (a scalded cat is afraid of cold water)
• German: ein gebranntes Kind scheut das Feuer
• Greek: όποιος καεί με τον χυλό, φυσάει και το γιαούρτι (ópoios kaeí me ton chyló, fysáei kai to giaoúrti)
• Hebrew: מִי שֶׁנִכְוָה בְּרוֹתְחִין נְזְהָר בְּצוֹנְנִין (he) (mi shenichvá berotḥín nizhár betzonenín)
• Hindi: दूध का जला छाँछ भी फूँक कर पीता है (dūdh kā jalā chā̃ch bhī phū̃k kar pītā hai)
• Icelandic: (a child burnt shuns the fire) brennt barn forðast eldinn (is)
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• Italian: Gatto scottato teme l'acqua fredda
• Japanese: 羮に懲りて膾を吹く (ja) (あつものにこりてなますをふく, atsumono ni korite namasu o fuku)
• Norwegian: brent barn skyr ilden
• Polish: kto się na gorącym sparzył, ten na zimne dmucha (pl)
• Portuguese: gato escaldado de água fria tem medo
• Romanian: cine s-a fript cu ciorbă, suflă și-n iaurt (he who burnt himself [once] with hot soup will [then] blow air [even] on yogurt)
• Russian: обжёгшись на молоке́, бу́дешь дуть и на во́ду (ru) (obžógšisʹ na moloké, búdešʹ dutʹ i na vódu) (having been burnt by milk, you'll blow onto water), пу́ганая воро́на куста́ бои́тся (púganaja voróna kustá boítsja) (a frightened crow is afraid even of the bush)
• Serbo-Croatian: tko se jednom opeče, puše i na hladno
• Spanish: gato escaldado del agua fría huye (es)
• Turkish: sütten ağzı yanan, yoğurdu üfleyerek yer

References

• Gregory Y. Titelman, Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings, 1996, →ISBN, p. 261.