📜 «once bitten, twice shy»
Also known as: burnt by milk, you blow on water
About excessive caution after a setback.
“Burned by milk, you blow on water” is a saying about being too careful, much like “once bitten, twice shy.” If someone once had a bad experience, they become afraid of anything similar. Even where there is no danger.
The image comes from everyday life. Hot milk can easily burn you. Someone who got burned once will later blow even on cold water. The saying has several forms: “burned by milk, you will blow on water too” or “burned on milk, he blows on water.”
Many languages have similar sayings. In English people say: “a burnt child dreads the fire.” There is another similar saying: “a frightened crow is scared of every bush.” The saying is often used with sympathy. It explains why someone became too careful after a failure. The idea is simple: caution is useful, but you should not be afraid of everything.
How it connects to milk
📜 «once bitten, twice shy» → image → 🥛 Milk
Links
- Related to
- 🥛 Milk, ♨️ Boiling
- Part of
- 📜 Milk in culture and language
Frequently asked questions
What does “burned by milk, you blow on water” mean?
After one failure, a person becomes too careful, even where there is no danger.
Is there a similar English saying?
Yes: “A burnt child dreads the fire.”
Similar
🌌 Milky Way · 📜 «a land of milk and honey» · 🌽 Milk stage · 🦷 Milk teeth · 📜 «peaches and cream» · 📜 «wet behind the ears»