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Idioms

burn your bridges | burn your boats

This page is about the idiom burn your bridges | burn your boats

Meaning

You have burned your bridges, or burned your boats, if you were in a situation and you then left it after doing something that made it impossible to go back there.

For example

  • If you insult the boss when you leave, you'll be burning your bridges and you'll never be able to go back to work there again.

  • I knew I'd be burning my boats if I dropped out of school, but I didn't care because I was determined to be a photographer.

Note:
"Burn your bridges" is used in most varieties of English, while "burn your boats" is used mostly in British and Australian English.

Quick Quiz

You'll be burning your bridges if you

a. save your money while working in a bank

b. steal a customer's money while working in a bank

c. borrow some money while working in a bank
a) save your money while working in a bank b) steal a customer's money while working in a bank c) borrow some money while working in a bank

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Common English Idioms

Contributor: Matt Errey