If one was asked to explain the phrase "curiosity killed the cat" one would most likely respond without hesitation: "Inquisitiveness can lead one into dangerous situations." Who, however, is to say that this is correct?
Many would be surprised to know that this proverb oringinated as "care killed the cat." By "care" the coiner of the phrase, Ben Jonson, meant "worry." Knowing something like this I would expect one would question the true meaning of the phrase.
Does the phrase mean that because the cat acts on curiosity, then that makes the cat foolish, and the foolishness of the cat’s actions will lead to its demise?
Could the phrase possibly mean that because the cat was curious, but too careful to act on it, then the cat will die because it lacks that knowledge or that experience?
Could it not be true that curiosity could kill if not acted on?
Is it not true that the sheer pain and confusion that comes from not knowing is, at times, enough to kill?
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