Phrase guide

fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me

proverb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

proverb

Meaning 1

After being tricked once, one should learn from one's mistakes and avoid being tricked in the same way another time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: eşşək girdiyi palçığa bir də girməz — Translations
  • Dutch: een ezel stoot zich geen twee keer aan dezelfde steen — Translations
  • French: qui me trompe une fois, honte à lui; qui me trompe deux fois, honte à moi — Translations
  • French: piège-moi une fois, honte sur toi, piège-moi deux fois, honte sur moi — Translations
  • German: täusche mich einmal, Schande über dich; täusche mich zweimal, Schande über mich — Translations
  • Hungarian: ha egyszer átversz, az a te szégyened. ha kétszer átversz, az már az enyém — Translations
  • Persian: یک بار گولم زدی، تو خجالت بکش. دوبار گولم بزنی من باید خجالت بکشم. — Translations
  • Turkish: eşek bile bir düştüğü yere bir daha düşmez — Translations