curiosity killed the cat

Idioms & Phrases

curiosity killed the cat

It's best to mind one's own business. For example, Don't ask about his divorcecuriosity killed the cat. This cautionary expression sounds like the moral of some fable or folktale, but any such origin for it has been lost. The first recorded use was in O. Henry's Schools and Schools (1909).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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