“Curiosity killed the cat,” goes the old folk saying. We’ve all heard it. We all know it. Except that’s not what the proverb originally was. The true proverb read, “Care killed the cat.” So where did this new phrase come from? Why the revision? And what did the original phrase mean?

On 23 December 1912, a printed reference to the new variation of the proverb was printed in The Titusville Herald newspaper in a grocery store ad:

You will find greater values here. We are told:
"Curiosity killed the cat,
But satisfaction brought it back."

It is the same story with groceries.
"Prices will sell Groceries, but it is always finality that brings the buyer back."

The sales pitch indicated that although curiosity may provoke a buyer to try something new, the quality of the product and how much th…