burn one's bridges

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Originally in the military sense of intentionally cutting off one's own retreat (burning a bridge one has crossed) to commit oneself to a course of action, later used primarily to mean alienate former friends.

39 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: حَرَقَ اَلسُّفُن (ḥaraqa s-sufun) — burn one's bridges
• Arabic: قَطَعَ اَلْجُسُور (qaṭaʕa l-jusūr) — burn one's bridges
• Arabic: قَطَعَ كُلّ عَلَاقَات (qaṭaʕa kull ʕalāqāt) — burn one's bridges
• Chinese Mandarin: 過河拆橋 /过河拆桥 (guò hé chāi qiáo) — burn one's bridges
• Chinese Mandarin: 破釜沉舟 (pòfǔchénzhōu) — burn one's bridges
• Danish: brænde alle broer — burn one's bridges
• Danish: bryde alle broer — burn one's bridges
• Danish: brænde alle broer bag sig — burn one's bridges
• Danish: bryde alle broer bag sig — burn one's bridges
• Dutch: je schepen achter je verbranden — burn one's bridges
• Finnish: polttaa siltansa — burn one's bridges
• French: faire sauter les ponts — burn one's bridges
• French: couper les ponts — burn one's bridges
• French: brûler les ponts — burn one's bridges
• French: brûler ses vaisseaux — burn one's bridges
• German: alle Brücken hinter sich abbrechen — burn one's bridges
• Icelandic: brenna allar brýr að baki sér — burn one's bridges
• Icelandic: brjóta allar brýr að baki sér — burn one's bridges
• Italian: bruciarsi i ponti alle spalle — burn one's bridges
• Italian: il dado è tratto — burn one's bridges
• Italian: passare il Rubicone — burn one's bridges
• Japanese: 関係を絶つ (kankei o tatsu) — burn one's bridges
• Japanese: 縁を切る (en o kiru) — burn one's bridges
• Japanese: 退路を断つ (tairo o tatsu) — burn one's bridges
• Japanese: 背水の陣 (haisui no jin) — burn one's bridges
• Norwegian Bokmål: bryte alle broer — burn one's bridges
• Norwegian Bokmål: bryte alle bruer — burn one's bridges
• Norwegian Nynorsk: bryte alle bruer — burn one's bridges
• Polish: palić za sobą mosty — burn one's bridges
• Portuguese: queimar as pontes — burn one's bridges
• Russian: сжига́ть все мосты́ — burn one's bridges
• Russian: рва́ть все свя́зи (rvátʹ vse svjázi) — burn one's bridges
• Spanish: quemar los puentes — burn one's bridges
• Spanish: quemar las naves — burn one's bridges
• Swedish: bränna sina broar — burn one's bridges
• Swedish: riva alla broar — burn one's bridges
• Swedish: bränna sina skepp — burn one's bridges
• Swedish: bränna alla broar — burn one's bridges
• Uzbek: muloqotni buzmoq — burn one's bridges