Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Gato escaldado del agua fría huye.»
Word for word
A scalded cat flees even from cold water.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Once bitten, twice shy.
After a bad experience, people overreact to anything that resembles it — used to explain someone’s new caution.
Also said as
- El gato escaldado, del agua fría huye.
Hear it in a sentence
Después de aquella estafa desconfía de todas las ofertas: gato escaldado del agua fría huye.
After that scam he distrusts every offer — once bitten, twice shy.
More Spanish sayings
- No hay dos sin tres. — Things come in threes.
- Quien mal anda, mal acaba. — Those who go astray come to a bad end.
- Quien todo lo quiere, todo lo pierde. — Grasp all, lose all.
- Quien hace un cesto, hace ciento. — Do it once and you'll do it again.
- La experiencia es la madre de la ciencia. — Experience is the best teacher.
Why learn dichos?
Proverbs like this one are everywhere in spoken Spanish — dropped mid-conversation, usually just the first half, with the rest left for you to complete. Recognizing them is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook and follow real speech. Every Lingocito edition signs off with the dicho del día, so you meet one a day next to news written at your level.