Once bitten, twice shy

Definition

After having a bad experience with something, a person becomes cautious and reluctant to try it again.

Etymology

This phrase evolved from earlier proverbs about learning from painful experiences, with the earliest recorded version being 'once burned, twice shy' in the 1800s. The 'bitten' variant became popular as it created a more vivid image of a sudden, sharp negative experience that creates lasting wariness.

Kelly Says

This idiom captures a fundamental aspect of human psychology - how negative experiences create stronger memories and behavioral changes than positive ones. It's essentially describing what psychologists now call 'negative bias,' where our brains are wired to remember and avoid potential threats more readily than to seek rewards.

Translations

AMአማርኛ
አንድ ጊዜ ተንኮልኩልን, ሁለት ጊዜ አሳደግኩልን
ahn-d gee-zeh teh-nkoh-loh-kool-n, hoo-leh-t gee-zeh ah-sah-deh-goo-kool-n
ARالعربية
مرة واحدة عض، مرتين خجول
marrah wahidah ʿaḍ, maratayn khajūl
BNবাংলা
একবার কামড়ানো, দুবার লজ্জিত
ekbaar kaam-DHA-noh, doobaar loj-jhit
CACatalà
una vegada mossegat, dues vegades tímid
oo-nah vah-GAH-dah moh-SEH-gah-t, doo-ehs vah-GAH-dehs tee-MEED
CSČeština
jednou kousnutý, dvakrát ostýchavý
YED-noh kooz-NOO-tee, dvah-KRAHT oh-STEE-khah-vee
DADansk
en gang bidt, to gange sky
ayn gohng beet, toh gohng shoo
DEDeutsch
einmal gebissen, zweimal scheu
AYN-mahl gay-BEES-en, ZWEI-mahl SHAY-oo
ELΕλληνικά
μία φορά δαγκωμένος, δύο φορές ντροπιασμένος
MEE-ah foh-RAH dahn-goh-MEH-nohs, DHEE-oh foh-REH-s noh-troh-pee-ahs-MEH-nohs
ESEspañol
una vez mordido, dos veces tímido
oo-nah vays moh-REE-thoh, dohs vays TEEM-ee-thoh
FAفارسی
یک بار گزیده شده، دو بار خجالت زده
yek baar gozideh shodeh, do baar khajalt zadeh
FISuomi
kerran purettu, kaksi kertaa ujo
KEH-rah poo-REH-too, KAHK-see KEH-rah-tee oo-yoh
FRFrançais
une fois mordu, deux fois timide
oon fwa mor-doo, duh fwa tee-MEED
GUGU
એક વાર કાટવામાં, બે વાર લજ્જાશરમ
ek vaar kaat-vaa-maan, bay vaar laj-jah-sharm
HAHA
wata guda, biyu tsoro
wah-tah goo-dah, bee-yoo tsoh-roh
HEעברית
פעם אחת נשכו, פעמיים בוש
peh-AM ah-HAT nash-KOO, peh-ah-MAYM BOH-sh
HIहिन्दी
एक बार काटने पर, दो बार शर्मिंदा
ek baar kaatne par, do baar sharminda
HUMagyar
egyszer megmart, kétszer félénk
AYG-see-zer mehg-MAR-t, KAY-tsohr FEH-lehnk
IDBahasa Indonesia
sekali gigit, dua kali malu
SEH-kah-lee gee-geet, doo-ah kah-lee MAH-loo
IGIG
otu ugboro kọọ, abụọ ugboro ịhịa
oh-too oo-gboh-roh koh-oh, ah-boo-oh oo-gboh-roh ee-hee-ah
ITItaliano
una volta morso, due volte timido
oo-nah voh-tah moh-RZOH, doo-eh voh-tay tee-MEE-thoh
KKKK
бір рет қағылған, екі рет қорқыныш
behr reh-t kah-ghyl-gahn, eh-kee reh-t kohr-kyh-nysh
KMKM
ម្ដងមួយឆ្កួត, ពីរដងភាយ
m-dahng mwoy ch-kwuat, pee-dahng phee-y
MRMR
एकदा चावले, दोनदा लाजवे
eh-kah-dah chah-vah-leh, doh-nah-dah lah-jah-vay
MSBahasa Melayu
sekali gigit, dua kali malu
SEH-kah-lee gee-geet, doo-ah kah-lee MAH-loo
MYမြန်မာ
တစ်ကြိမ်ကိုက်ခံရသည်, နှစ်ကြိမ်ကြောက်ရသည်
tah-kah-kah-layn koh-keht hkuhn-yay, hnah-kah-kah-layn kyoht-yay
NLNederlands
een keer gebeten, twee keer schuw
AYN kehr gay-BEH-tayn, TWEI kehr SHOO
NONorsk
en gang bitt, to ganger sky
ayn gohng beet, toh gohng shoo
PAPA
ਇਕ ਵਾਰ ਕੱਟਿਆ, ਦੋ ਵਾਰ ਸ਼ਰਮਿੰਦਾ
ik vaar kat-tee-ah, do vaar sharminda
PLPolski
raz ugryziony, dwa razy nieśmiały
rahz oo-GREE-zhyoh-noh, dvah RAH-zee nyesh-MYAH-lee
PTPortuguês
uma vez mordido, duas vezes tímido
oo-mah vays moh-REE-thoh, doo-ahs vays TEEM-ee-thoh
RORomână
o dată mușcat, de două ori sfios
oh dah-tah MOO-shkat, deh doo-ah OH-ree SFEE-ohs
RUРусский
один раз укушенный, два раза осторожный
AH-deen raz oo-KOO-shen-ee, dvah raz ah-stoh-ROH-zhnee
SVSvenska
en gång biten, två gånger blyg
ayn gohng bee-ten, tvoh gohng blyg
SWKiswahili
mara moja kung'ata, mara mbili aibu
MAH-rah MOH-jah koon-gah-tah, MAH-rah MEE-lee ah-EE-boo
TAதமிழ்
ஒரு முறை கடித்தால், இரு முறை நடுக்கம்
oh-ruh moo-RAH-ee kah-DEE-thahl, ee-ruh moo-RAH-ee nah-TOO-kahm
TEతెలుగు
ఒకసారి కొరికినట్లయితే, రెండుసార్లు భయపడతాడు
oh-kah-sah-ree koh-ree-kee-nah-tah-lay-ee-teh, reh-ndoo-sah-rlu bhah-yah-pah-dah-tah-oo
THไทย
กัดหนึ่งครั้ง, กลัวสองครั้ง
gat nueng khrang, gluah song khrang
TLTL
isang beses kumagat, dalawang beses mahiyain
ee-sahng BEH-sehs koo-MAH-gat, dah-LAH-wahng BEH-sehs mah-HEE-yah-in
TRTürkçe
bir kez ısırılan, iki kez çekingen
beer keh-z ee-see-rah-lahn, ee-kee keh-z cheh-keen-gehn
UKУкраїнська
один раз укушений, два рази осторожний
AH-deen raz oo-KOO-shen-ee, dvah RAH-zee ah-stoh-ROH-zhnee
URاردو
ایک بار کاٹنے پر، دو بار شرمندہ
ayk baar kaatnay par, do baar sharminda
VITiếng Việt
một lần cắn, hai lần rụng
moot lahn kahhn, hai lahn roong
YOYO
ọ̀kan lọ, mẹ́rin lọ
oh-kahn loh, meh-rehn loh
ZUZU
ukugwinya okwesokudla, ukugwinya okwesobala
oo-koo-gwee-nyah oh-koo-soh-koo-dlah, oo-koo-gwee-nyah oh-koo-soh-bah-lah

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