Englishburn one's bridges
Meaning: To take a course of action that makes it impossible to go back.
Example: “Be polite when you resign; you don't want to burn your bridges.”
Equivalents in other languages
Ukrainian: Розбити глек (Rozbýty hlek) Literally: To break the jug
French: Brûler ses vaisseaux Literally: To burn one's ships
Origin: Modeled on real military tactics: an army that burned the bridges or boats it had used to cross a river eliminated its own option to retreat, forcing every soldier to fight forward with nothing to fall back on, while also stranding any enemy trying to follow. Julius Caesar is popularly associated with the image twice over — supposedly burning bridges behind his legions after crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC, and reportedly destroying his transport ships after landing in Britain in 55 BC to commit his men fully to the campaign. The idiom itself, applied to any irreversible decision, is first recorded only in the late 1800s, well after the Roman campaigns that supply its imagery.
More English idioms
- down in the mouth Unhappy.
- eat one's heart out To suffer silently in a hopeless situation.
- eat out of someone's hand To be submissive; to have someone eating out of one's hand means to get someone to be sub…
- fight tooth and nail To fight fiercely; to fight with everything you have.
- fine-tooth comb An imaginary device one uses to look for something very carefully.
- get a leg up To make a good start on some activity or project.
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