burn one's fingers

Idioms and Phrases

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]