ProverbHuman Nature
English origin1598
English origin1598Curiosity killed the cat
Meaning: Being too inquisitive can lead to trouble.
Origin: The original was "care killed the cat," and care meant worry or sorrow. Ben Jonson's Every Man in His Humour (1598) and Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing (1599) both use it to say that even a cat, with its nine lives, can be fretted to death. "Curiosity" replaced "care" around the turn of the 20th century, moving the warning from worrying to prying; the comeback "but satisfaction brought it back" is a later addition.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Russian, and Polish
French: La curiosité est un vilain défaut (literally: Curiosity is an ugly flaw)
Spanish: La curiosidad mató al gato (literally: Curiosity killed the cat)
Japanese: 好奇心は猫をも殺す (Kōkishin wa neko wo mo korosu) (literally: Curiosity can even kill a cat)
German: Neugier ist der Katze Tod (literally: Curiosity is the cat's death)
Russian: Любопытной Варваре на базаре нос оторвали (Lyubopytnoy Varvare na bazare nos otorvali) (literally: Nosy Varvara had her nose torn off at the market)
Polish: Ciekawość to pierwszy stopień do piekła (literally: Curiosity is the first step to hell)
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