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Pelin
Can you explain this sentence?
I've been burned before.
Does it mean; I had a bad experience before.
Oct 6, 2016 4:45 PM
Answers · 3
1
Yes! The sentence has a literal meaning (i.e. that you have really been burned) or - as you say - a figurative meaning that you have had a bad experience. In a figurative sense it's most often used to back up a sentence where you say you are not going to do something again because you had a bad time the first time round, e.g.
"I'm not going to get married again, I've been burned before"
"I'm not going to buy a xxx from yyy, I've been burned before"
October 6, 2016
More accurately, you had been HURT before; usually to mean something bad had happened.
October 6, 2016
Meaning/Usage: To get screwed; to get a bad deal; to be tricked
Explanation: When you are burned, it hurts. When you are screwed, get a bad deal, or get cheated, that hurts too. So it became common to use "burned" in this manner.
source: http://ru.talkenglish.com/lessondetails.aspx?ALID=1092
October 6, 2016
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Pelin
Language Skills
English, Turkish
Learning Language
English
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