Dictionary

a burnt child dreads the fire en · X

Meanings

1. (dated) A person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it.
   • They are the living antithesis of the saying, “A burnt child dreads the fire,” since they repeat the same fiascos time and again in an impressively self-destructive fashion. 1945 April 26, Phyllis Greenacre, Conscience in the Psychopath; republished as J. Reid Meloy, editor, The Mark of Cain: Psychoanalytic Insight and the Psychopath, 2001, →ISBN:
   • I didn’t mean to interfere, dear. I never will again. You can rely on me. A burnt child dreads the fire. Once bitten— 1923, George S. Kaufman, Marc Connelly, Dulcy: A Comedy in Three Acts, page 126:
   • […] I doubt very much whether such funds will soon be placed in the channels of trade, because “a burnt child dreads the fire.” These depositors will not entrust their earnings any time soon to another banking institution unless they have some assurance or guarantee that such deposits will be protected. 1932 January 14, Butler B. Hare, “Reconstruction Finance Corporation”, in Proceedings and Debates of the First Session of the Seventy-Second Congress of the United States of America, volume 75, part 2, published 1932, page 1968:
   • A.—They struck. A combination of the Knights of Labor caused them to strike. / […] / Q.—Did you refuse to give them work again? A.—I did. / Q.—What was the reason? A.—Because a “burnt child dreads the fire,” and we did not want them again. 1888 May 4, Sam Heakes, Joseph Gray, “[Questioning]”, in Report of the Royal Commission on the Relations of Capital and Labor in Canada: Evidence—Ontario, published 1889, page 1092:
   • The Continental insurance company has instructed its agents not to use Rubber Stamps to affix their signatures to policies, renewals, etc., because “Rubber Stamps are easily duplicated, at small expense, even in the case of fac-similes of signatures, and forgery and fraud are facilitated by their use.” […] A burnt child dreads the fire and the Continental has had a painful experience. 1886 December 23, “The Week”, in The Chronicle: A Weekly Insurance Journal, volume 38, number 26, page 309:

Forms

Synonyms

once bitten, twice shy

Translations (19)

cmn 一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井繩 /一朝被蛇咬 (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · hi दूध का जला छाछ भी फूँक फूँक कर पीता है (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · cmn 十年怕井绳 (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · pl kto raz się sparzył, ten na zimne dmucha (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · fi palanut lapsi karttaa tulta (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · de ein gebranntes Kind scheut das Feuer (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · fr chat échaudé craint l'eau froide (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · nb brent barn skyr ilden (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · is brennt barn forðast eldinn (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · id sekali tersengat selalu beringat (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · nn brent barn skyr elden (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · el όποιος καεί στο χυλό φυσάει και το γιαούρτι (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · ru обжёгшись на молоке́, ду́ют на во́ду (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · sv bränt barn skyr elden (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · ru обжёгшись на молоке́, ду́ешь и на во́ду (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · bn ঘর পোড়া গরু সিঁদুরে মেঘ দেখে ডরায় (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · ru пуганая ворона куста боится (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · da brændt barn skyr ilden (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy) · gl cos escarmentados fanse os avisados (a person harmed by something becomes more cautious about it — see also once bitten, twice shy)