burn one's fingers

Harm oneself, as in I'm staying away from risky stocks; I've burned my fingers often enough. Some believe this expression came from a legend about a monkey who gets a cat to pull its chestnuts out of the fire (see cat's paw); others hold it is from an English proverb: "Burn not thy fingers to snuff another's candle" (James Howell, English Proverbs, 1659). [c. 1700]

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Vanda	-	Portuguese, Italian, Czech, Slovak
Johano	yo-HAH-no	Esperanto
Augusta	ow-GUWS-tah (German, Polish), ow-GOOS-tah (Italian), ə-GUS-tə (English)	German, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Dutch, English, Ancient Roman
Heath	HEETH	English
Oluwakanyinsola	-	Western African, Yoruba
Douglas	DUG-ləs	Scottish, English