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

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

But wealthy Asian families like the Ambanis are once bitten, twice shy, experts say.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2022

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

From Seattle Times • Jan. 15, 2018

He’ll certainly try to overreach me again; but then once bitten twice shy.

From Tales of Bengal by Banerjea, S. B.