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. | ” |
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. | ” |
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