Proverbs, idioms, expressions – whichever way you call them – tend to feature in texts and conversations as they help put a message across in a lot more descriptive or less sterile manner. Some phrases are self-explanatory, but quite a few could leave you unsure of their intended purposes. The proverb “curiosity killed the cat” could be one such expression for most people.
The expression “curiosity killed the cat” means “being inquisitive or too curious about a thing to one’s peril”. The pet “cat” is used as a metaphor since it’s notorious for being “too curious”. People who poke their nose into other people’s business unsolicited are the cat’s human equivalent.
“Curiosity killed the cat” is not as dreadful as it sounds – in fact, not anywhere even close – if you learn more about its context or application in texts. Read on to learn more about the phrase’s meaning and origin, its significance, the term’s various versions (if any), and a host of other details about the saying.
“Curiosity Killed the Cat” – Meaning
The idiom “curiosity killed the cat” means or warns “excessive or unnecessary experimentation or investigation can be dangerous or counterintuitive”. A few other ways of putting the phrase’s definition include:
- Being overly curious could land you in trouble.
- A prying behavior could harm you.
“Curiosity”, by itself, is not bad. It can lead to information or afford you insights you may not have known otherwise. However, things get a bit tricky or not ideal when curiosity is oozing out of a person or when you’re poking your nose into someone else’s business when you’re not supposed to.
But since humans usually do not grow “curious” for constructive reasons, “curiosity” has always had a bad rep or slightly negative undertone. And that has been the case for centuries. In Confessions (AD 397), Saint Augustine wrote that in the ages before the creation of earth and heaven, God made hell for the “questioning” folks.
Why was “Cat” Chosen for the Phrase?
Cats are known for being “highly curious”, and it’s, therefore, no surprise the four-legged pet animal was chosen as a metaphor.
Often, “curiosity” can lead the cat into situations that could be risky or dangerous. For example, a cat is curious about bullfights and steps onto the field to know more. It wants to learn about how the sport’s played, why the bull chases the player, why the animal is being instigated or is agitated, etc. That curiosity alone can get the cat killed by the bull.
The same also applies to humans who take excessive interest in things they shouldn’t be knowing or care about in the first place. Generally, it’s wise to be a spectator or simply carry on with your own business – whether you’re a cat or a human.
Origin and Early Mentions of the Phrase
The expression was originally “Care killed the cat”, with “care” denoting “sorrow for others” or “worry” and not “provide for” or “look after”.
The meaning “attempting to stop a person from asking unwanted questions or being excessively probing” is a relatively recent development. The original version of the phrase meant “a cat usually has nine lives; however, care will wear them out all”.
The negative opinion encircling “curiosity”, as mentioned above, coupled with cats being notorious for their “inquisitiveness” may have contributed to “care” getting modified as “curiosity”.
The Current Version
The modern version’s origin is not clear. It’s documented to have been first found in print, in 1868, in an Irish newspaper as, “They say curiosity killed a cat once”. Another early reference can be found from 1873 in James Allan Mair’s compendium, listed as a proverb.
In “Schools and Schools” by O. Henry, a renowned American short story writer, the phrase gets a mention, indicating the proverb or its use had become relatively widespread by then.
In the 4th March 1916 edition of The Washington Post, the idiom was part of a story’s headline. A few other newspapers, such as the New York World, also were among the first print publications to use the expression in their material.
Is It “Schrodinger’s Cat”?
The reasoning behind the usage of “cat” has been established. But whose “cat” is that, anyway? Is it Tom from the famous cartoon comedy series “Tom and Jerry”?
Theories floated for a while that the cat being referred to in the phrase was from “Schrodinger’s Cat”, a thought experiment illustrating an apparent quantum superposition paradox.
The hypothetical cat could be considered both dead and alive simultaneously due to being associated with a random subatomic event, which may or may not have occurred. The talk about “death” and “life” makes the connection between the experiment and the phrase quite plausible.
However, Erwin Schrodinger, the Austrian-Irish physicist’s thought experiment was devised in 1935, or the cat’s mention was first made in the particular year. The first recorded mention of “curiosity killed the cat” was in 1898. That piece of information alone rules out the possibilities of any correlation between the two.
Variation(s) of the Phrase
The idiom “curiosity killed the cat” cannot be rephrased as “curiosity killed the dog/mouse” or “curiosity belled the cat”. But it can have a phrase added to it and modified as “curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back”.
When an experiment fails, it could be dismaying. But, on the bright side, the failed experiment enlightens you or lets you in on one of the ways that could lead to failure. The sense of satisfaction derived from learning something new is what “but satisfaction brought it back” tries to drive home.
Kindly note, this extended version may be passed around as the original version of the phrase and that the current or more famous phase was simply shortened for convenience. The theory, however, is not correct. In other words, the longer version didn’t come first.
The extended variant was first documented in 1905. There are no recorded mentions of it before that.
Usage of/Using the Phrase “Curiosity Killed the Cat” in Texts
The phrase supposedly first used in print in “Every Man in His Humour”, a 1598 play by Ben Jonson, the British playwright. The play was first performed by William Shakespeare himself and William Kempe, an English dancer, and actor.
True to the origin story mentioned above, the following is how the phrase was used in the play:
“…Helter skelter, hang sorrow, care will kill a cat, up-tails all, and a pox on the hangman.”
Shakespeare adapted the expression in “Much Ado About Nothing”, his play from circa 1599, the following way:
“What courage, man! what though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care.”
In contemporary texts, the phrase could be used to imply the famous saying, “A cat has nine lives”. For example:
- Curiosity killed the cat; however, it returned.
The idiom can also be used in texts or speech to warn or signal someone not to be too probing or ask many questions. For example:
- When she didn’t stop with her questions, the teacher warned her by saying, “Curiosity can kill the cat“.
Usage of the Elongated Variant of the Phrase
The lengthened version of the phrase “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back” has been used in literary works and news publications, such as The Jewell Record and The Harrisburg Patriot.
The expanded form has also been featured in the song “Curiosity” in the album “New Values” by Iggy Pop. The song was co-written with Scott Thurston. The song features the entire line verbatim.
The Shining, the 1977 horror novel by Stephen King, also features the expression.
Fun English Idioms
Example Sentences with the Idiom “Curiosity Killed the Cat”
The following are a few sentences incorporating the idiom:
- Though she knew everything about the issue, she was unwilling to let us in on the matter and responded to our queries by saying, “Curiosity will kill the cat“.
- Samantha was growing anxious about all the money Jim was bringing home. But Jim was unwilling to let her know anything about the source as he believed her curiosity would kill the cat.
- I opened my gifts a day before my birthday. What’s wrong with that? Nothing. But my curiosity may have killed the cat.
- “Where are we heading?”, Mary asked. John said, “You shall find that out soon. Have patience. Curiosity can kill the cat.”
The phrase is not that straightforward to incorporate into texts. Mostly, it stands out as an individual sentence. For writing convenience, however, you may alter the phrase a bit.
Conclusion
“Curiosity” is the path to learning. The more questions you ask, the wiser you become. But you need not know everything, especially not personal details about other people. That is a breach of privacy and cause for annoyance as well.
And suppose that “inquisitiveness” is to satisfy your itch for gossip or know things just for the sake of it, without any intention to help or add value to the issue. In that case, that’s obnoxious and also insensitive.
Not to mention the dangers that could unfold when you become privy to information you should not have been aware of in the first place. In the rarest of cases, being in on an extremely confidential matter without authority could lead to prosecution and even death.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.