Once Bitten, Twice Shy

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When we get hurt, it’s normal to cut off ties with the people who inflicted harm on us. It is human nature when we try to avoid a harmful situation to happen again. Oftentimes, we build armor around us to prevent ourselves from getting hurt again. But is it always good to react in such way?

Let’s watch the video and find out more about this expression.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/experiment/unit-1/session-6

Discussion Questions:

1. What does the expression ‘once bitten, twice shy’ mean?
2. What cases of ‘once bitten, twice shy’ have you had in the past? Has it brought you better results or did you miss out on certain opportunities?
3. What other languages have a similar expression as mentioned in the video? How are they translated into English?
4. Do you have a similar expression in your language? How do you say it?