‘Once Bitten Twice Shy’, Meaning & Context

“Once bitten, twice shy” means that you won’t do something a second time if you had a bad or unpleasant experience when you did it the first time or, at the very least, you will be extremely cautious if you have to do it again.

Origin of “once bitten twice shy”

This is an idiom referencing a very old piece of philosophy – the wisdom of knowing that you can learn from the mistakes that harm you so that you can avoid making them again. The phrase itself “once bitten twice shy” is also old. The principle appears in one of Aesop’s Fables, which is a collection of little ancient Greek stories that have strong moral messages. This one is about a wolf who approaches a house being guarded by a dog at the gate and corners him. He tells the dog that he is going to eat him. The dog argues that he is too thin to make a good meal and that he should allow him to fatten up first. The wolf goes away and when he returns he finds the dog has positioned himself safely on the other side of the gate.

The English printer, William Caxton, translated Aesop’s fables with the moral of that fable being  “He that hath ben ones begyled by somme other ought to kepe hym wel fro(m) the same.”  Later, in his 1853 novel, Mr. Sponge’s Sporting Tour,  novelist Robert Surte  wrote: “he had been bit once, and he was not going to give Mr. Sponge a second chance.” The phrasing of the idiom as we know it today came later in Folk Phrases of Four Counties by G.G. Northall and still later by Joseph Conrad in The Rescue, 1920), Aldous Huxley in Point Counter Point, 1928, and The Apes of God by Wyndham Lewis, 1930.

But why “twice” shy? That’s because once you have suffered from the bad experience it is a lesson for all such dangers in the future, not just the next one.

Once bitten, twice shy!

“Once bitten twice shy” in literature

In the novel “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, the character Elizabeth Bennet says, “Once bitten, twice shy, is a sound maxim.”

In the story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the townspeople are reluctant to participate in the lottery after a child is stoned to death the previous year. One of the townspeople says, “Once bitten, twice shy.”

Robyn Donald’s romance novel has the title Once Bitten Twice Shy

“Once bitten twice shy” in popular culture

In an advertisement for a car insurance company, a man says, “I’m once bitten, twice shy. That’s why I have car insurance.” This line is spoken in reference to the man’s fear of being in a car accident.

In the song “Once Bitten Twice Shy” by The Knack, the singer says, “Once bitten, twice shy. I’m gonna be careful what I do.” The song is about a man who has been hurt in the past and is now afraid to get hurt again.

In another song “Once Bitten Twice Shy” by Rick Springfield: The song is about a man who has been hurt in a previous relationship. He is “once bitten twice shy” and is reluctant to get involved in another relationship.

In the television show “The Simpsons,” the character Homer Simpson says, “Once bitten, twice shy. Once burned, twice fried. Once peed on, never again.” This line is a humorous way of saying that Homer is hesitant to do things that have hurt him in the past. In the Simpsons episode “Bart Gets an Elephant,” Bart gets a pet elephant named Stampy. Stampy is a gentle giant, but Bart is “once bitten twice shy” and is afraid of him.

In the song “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” by Buckcherry, the singer sings about being hurt by a woman and being hesitant to get involved with another woman again.

The American rock band had a hit in 1977 with their song “Once bitten twice shy.” The chorus goes:

Oh my, my, my, I’m once bitten twice, shy babe
My, my, my, I’m once bitten twice shy baby
My, my, my, I’m once bitten twice shy baby
My, my, my, I’m once bitten twice, shy
So shy

Using “once bitten twice shy”

When I got home I found that they had sold me a faulty television set. I won’t buy from them again. Once bitten twice shy.

I’ll never get married again. Once bitten twice shy.

I gave up my job for the one I was offered in Spain and when I got there I found they had gone out of business. I won’t give up a job in future unless it’s certain. Once bitten twice shy.

Synonyms for “once bitten twice shy”

A beaten dog may cower before a friendly hand

Don’t get burnt twice by the same flame