The earlier form was still in use in 1898 when it was defined in Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.
Sayings similar to curiosity killed the cat. Curiosity Killed The Cat is an expression used as a warning for someone who is overly curious. This myth also this explains how the first women arrived on earth and why she was sent there. A child is an island of curiosity surrounded by a sea of question marks Shell advertising slogan Burn with curiosity.
The expression is used to warn people about the dangers of unnecessary investigation and dangerous situations. This cautionary expression sounds like the moral of some fable or folktale but any such origin for it has been lost. Its listed as a proverb on one of the pages.
Curiosity killed the cat Its best to mind ones own business. Curiosity killed the cat with the full version being Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back is a very common proverb. Curiosity killed the cat the meaning and origin of this phrase.
It suggests that being too curious or inquisitive is dangerous. What though care killed a cat thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care The proverbial expression curiosity killed the cat which is usually used when attempting to stop someone asking unwanted questions is much more recent. Henrys 1909 short story Schools and Schools includes a mention that suggests knowledge of the proverb had become widespread by that time.
The actual phrase encourages people to be curious especially when it comes to learning new skills and ideas. 16 other terms for curiosity killed the cat- words and phrases with similar meaning. Bangambiki Habyarimana The Great Pearl of Wisdom.
What though care killed a cat thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care So what about the modern form of this phrase with the word curiosity in it. Curiosity killed the fact is a surprisingly recent phrase but care killed the cat a phrase with a subtly but importantly different meaning has a much longer and older pedigree. And if emotions well recognized as feminine are inimical to feline life then jealousy would soon leave the whole world catless.