get one's fingers burnt
English
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb
get one's fingers burnt
- (idiomatic) To suffer relatively minor, adversive, and unexpected harm.
- He got his fingers burnt in that stock market scam, but at least he didn't lose his house.
- 2015 August 25, “Anwar Raja, the farmer, got his fingers burnt”, in The Hindu, retrieved 20 November 2018:
- He developed a special interest in coconut cultivation after witnessing the success of some farmers who made huge money only to get his fingers burnt.
- 2011 February 8, “German firms fear China technology theft”, in BBC news, retrieved 20 November 2018:
- Artur Fischer, for example, is the head of the Berlin stock-exchange who got his fingers burnt in China.
Usage notes
Unlike the saying "burn one's fingers", it does not imply that it was the sufferer's own fault.