a burnt child dreads the fire
a burnt child dreads the fire
proverb Someone who has experienced some kind of negative situation or consequence will try to avoid making the same mistake or experiencing the same situation again. Joseph refuses to invest any money after losing his retirement fund during the stock market crash; a burnt child dreads the fire.
See also: burnt, child, fire
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
A burnt child dreads the fire.
Prov. If something has hurt you once, you avoid it after that. (See also .) Jill: Let's go ride the roller coaster! Jane: No, thanks. I got sick on one of those once, and a burnt child dreads the fire. Ever since Cynthia rebuffed me so rudely, I've avoided asking her for anything; a burnt child dreads the fire.
See also: burnt, child, fire
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
- burnt
- teach a man to fish
- it takes a village
- village
- Caesar's wife must be above suspicion
- change horses in midstream, don't
- bad workers always blame their tools
- better bend than break
- the best-laid plans
- the best-laid plans of mice and men