the burnt child dreads the fire
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Once caught, twice shy. "What! wouldst thou have a serpent sting thee twice?
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “the burnt child dreads the fire” mean?
Once caught, twice shy. "What! wouldst thou have a serpent sting thee twice?
Is “the burnt child dreads the fire” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.