get one's fingers burnt

verb

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.”

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Meanings

verbget one's fingers burnt (third-person singular simple present gets one's fingers burnt, present participle getting one's fingers burnt, simple past got one's fingers burnt, past participle (UK) got one's fingers burnt or (US) gotten one's fingers burnt)

present singular third person gets one's fingers burnt · participle present getting one's fingers burnt · past got one's fingers burnt · UK participle past got one's fingers burnt · US participle past gotten one's fingers burnt

  1. idiomaticTo 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.

    2 more examples

    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.

    2015 August 25, “Anwar Raja, the farmer, got his fingers burnt”, in The Hindu, retrieved 20 Nov 2018

    Artur Fischer, for example, is the head of the Berlin stock-exchange who got his fingers burnt in China.

    2011 February 8, Stephen Evans, “German firms fear China technology theft”, in BBC news, retrieved 20 Nov 2018
Cite this entry
APA

get one's fingers burnt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20one's%20fingers%20burnt

MLA

“get one's fingers burnt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20one's%20fingers%20burnt. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “get one's fingers burnt,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20one's%20fingers%20burnt.

Source: get one's fingers burnt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.