flâneur

Origin Stories: Curiosity Killed The Cat — Brittney Nickerson

brittneynickerson.com · 301 words · saved by 1 readers

The meaning and history behind the expression "Curiosity Killed The Cat."

As both a curious person and a cat lover, it’s no surprise that I’ve heard the phrase “curiosity killed the cat” more times than I can count. Yet, those words didn’t stop me from wondering about the history of the phrase and researching where exactly it came from. Surprisingly, curiosity was not the initial harbinger of the cat’s demise. Instead, the phrase was first recorded in 1598 as “Care’ll kill a cat” by English playwright Ben Jonson in his play Every Man in His Humour. In this context, “care” means worry or sorrow—something quite different from curiosity. The original text said:…

saved by

related reading