Curiosity killed the cat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the British band, see Curiosity Killed the Cat
Curiosity killed the cat is a proverb used to warn against being too inquisitive lest one comes to harm.
[edit] Origins
The earliest printed reference to the origin of this proverb is attributed to British playwright Ben Jonson in his 1598 play, Every Man in His Humour (performed first by British playwright William Shakespeare).
| ...Helter skelter, hang sorrow, care will kill a cat, up-tails all, and a pox on the hangman. |
In this instance, "care" was defined as "worry" or "sorrow."
Shakespeare used a similar quote in his circa 1599 play, Much Ado About Nothing:
| What, courage man! what though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care. |
[edit] Usages
- The proverb apparently remained the same until at least 1898. E. Cobham Brewer included this definition in his Dictionary of Phrase and Fable:
| Care killed the Cat.
It is said that "a cat has nine lives," yet care would wear them all out. |
- The earliest known printed reference that is similar in style and meaning to the current proverb is O. Henry's short story Schools and Schools from 1909:
| Curiosity can do more things than kill a cat; and if emotions, well recognized as feminine, are inimical to feline life, then jealousy would soon leave the whole world catless. |
- The earliest known printed reference to the actual phrase occurred in The Washington Post on 4 March 1916 (page 6):
| CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT. |
Four Departments of New York City Government Summoned to Rescue Feline.
From the New York World.
Curiosity, as you may recall—
On the fifth floor of the apartment house at 203 West 130th street lives Miss Mable Godfrey. When she came to the house about seven months ago she brought Blackie, a cat of several years' experience of life.
The cat seldom left the apartment. He was a hearth cat, not a fence cat, and did not dearly love to sing. In other respects he was normal and hence curious.
Last Tuesday afternoon when Miss Godfrey was out Blackie skipped into the grate fireplace in a rear room. He had done this many times before. But he had not climbed up the flue to the chimney. This he did Tuesday. Blackie there remained, perched on the top of the screen separating the apartment flue from the main chimney, crying for assistance. Miss Godfrey, returning, tried to induce her pet to come down. If you are experienced in felinity, you know that Blackie didn't come down.
On Wednesday the cat, curiosity unsatisfied, tried to climb higher—and fell to the first floor. His cries could still be heard by Miss Godfrey; who, to effect Blackie's rescue, communicated with the following departments:
1. Police department.
2. Fire department.
3. Health department.
4. Building department.
5. Washington Heights court.
Among them they lowered a rope to Blackie. But it availed neither the cat nor them anything.
Thursday morning, just before noon, a plumber opened the rear wall back of the chimney. Blackie was taken out. His fall had injured his back. Ten minutes later Blackie died.
- The proverb, though, has been widely attributed to Eugene O'Neill who included the variation, "Curiosity killed a cat!" in his play Diff'rent from 1920:
| BENNY—(with a wink) Curiosity killed a cat! Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies. |
- A song called "Curiosity Killed the Cat" served as the theme song for the animated cartoon "Peeping Penguins" produced by the Max Fleischer studio in 1937.
- Grandpa Munster (Al Lewis) used this expression in an episode of the TV Series "The Munsters" Given that this show ran from 1964-1966, it probably predates the Lima News horoscope.
- The origin of this variation is unknown. But, the earliest printed reference occurs in a horoscope printed in The Lima News (Lima, Ohio) from 14 September 1966 (page 37):
| YOUR BIRTHDAY by STELLA
|
