Once bitten, twice shy
An injury makes a person wary of its cause.
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Does bimonthly mean twice a month or every two months?The prefix bi- usually means ‘every two’, so bimonthly means ‘every two months’.Semi- means ‘half’ or ‘halfway’, so semimonthly means ‘every two weeks’. However, bimonthly can also mean ‘twice a month’ – but it is rarely used that way. It is best to remember that bi- is “every two” and semi- is “halfway.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
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once bitten, twice shy
Once hurt, one is doubly cautious in the future, as in He was two days late last time, so she's not hiring him again—once bitten, twice shy. This seemingly old observation, presumably alluding to an animal biting someone, was first recorded in 1894.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.