Kto się na gorącym sparzył, ten na zimne dmucha
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What it means
“Whoever has been burned by something hot blows on cold things too.” A bad experience makes people overly cautious even when there’s no real danger. Once bitten, twice shy.
English equivalent
Once bitten, twice shy. / A burnt child dreads the fire.
Vocabulary
- sparzyć się — to burn oneself, to scald oneself
- gorący — hot
- dmuchać — to blow
- zimny — cold
Grammar note
'Na gorącym' — locative of 'gorący' used as a noun ('on the hot one'). 'Na zimne' — accusative after 'na' (direction/target of blowing).
Cultural context
A close variant of 'kto się na gorącym sparzył, ten na zimną wodę dmucha'; both forms are in common use.
Intermediate
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