once bitten, twice shy

once bitten, twice shy

Once one is hurt by someone or something, one will be extra cautious to avoid that person or thing. I've learned my lesson from dating actors—once bitten, twice shy. The company's brief but disastrous attempt was enough for them to vow never to venture into the mobile phone market again. Once bitten, twice shy.
See also: once, shy, twice
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

Once bitten, twice shy.

Prov. When something or someone has hurt you once, you tend to avoid that thing or person. Jill: Let's go ride the roller coaster. Jane: No, thanks. I got really sick on one of those once—once bitten, twice shy. I once sent in money for something I saw advertised in the back of a magazine, but the merchandise was of such poor quality I was sorry I'd bought it. I'll never buy anything that way again; once bitten, twice shy.
See also: once, shy, twice
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

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.
See also: once, shy, twice
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

once bitten, twice shy

or

once bitten

You say once bitten, twice shy to mean that a bad experience makes you not want to become involved in a similar situation in the future. I'm certainly not looking for a new boyfriend. Once bitten, twice shy. Tokyo's punters, once bitten, twice shy, will not come rushing back for more.
See also: once, shy, twice
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

once bitten, twice shy

a bad experience makes you wary of the same thing happening again.
This expression dates from the late 19th century. A variant common in the USA is once burned, twice shy .
See also: once, shy, twice
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

ˌonce ˈbitten, ˌtwice ˈshy

(saying) if something has gone wrong once, you are very careful not to let something similar happen again: ‘Will she marry again, do you think?’ ‘I doubt it — once bitten, twice shy.’
See also: once, shy, twice
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

once bitten, twice shy

One injury will make one extra cautious in the future. This proverbial saying appears to date from the mid-nineteenth century, although the idea is centuries older. William Scarborough’s version of Chinese Proverbs (1875) stated, “Once bitten by a snake in passing by, a second time he will of grass be shy.”
See also: once, shy, twice
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • once more
  • all at once
  • at once
  • stampede out of
  • stampede out of (some place)
  • (every) once in a while
  • once in a while
  • every once in a while
  • once and for all
References in periodicals archive
Shadow Education Secretary Darren Millar warned that young voters will be "once bitten, twice shy" at the next election, after the Welsh Labour Government announced the hike in tuition fees.
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Wrexham are a little dubious of property developers these days - it's a case of once bitten, twice shy. Controversial majority shareholder Alex Hamilton fancies himself as a building guru; but he bit off a little more than he could chew when he announced plans to sell Wrexham's famous Racecourse ground for development when times got tough, promising Wales' oldest club that they'd be relocated.
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We learned our lesson with Lomana LuaLua and Portsmouth last season and it's a case of once bitten, twice shy."
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But it's interesting that it took them making a total balls-up of NOT putting a deal in front of Liam Miller until he'd brought himself to the attention of the biggest club in Europe before they realised that you have to back up that belief with cash and commitment Definitely a case of once bitten, twice shy.
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