Once bitten, twice shy

Cultural  

1. An injury makes a person wary of its cause.

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once bitten, twice shy Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

But some families are now once bitten, twice shy.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2025

"It's sort of as the saying goes - once bitten, twice shy," she said.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2025

Certainly, nettles in their natural state do pack a wallop, and most people, once bitten, twice shy, avoid them.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 18, 2023

For the fashion industry, it’s perhaps a case of once bitten, twice shy.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 15, 2018

As for you, my dear Karslake, I should have thought once bitten, twice shy!

From Representative Plays by American Dramatists: 1856-1911: The New York Idea by Moses, Montrose Jonas