This week Shauna and Dan burn all the bridges behind them. And sometimes boats. Or maybe they'll light a river on fire. Bonus: Failure is always an option
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Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
Episode 281: Don’t Burn Your Bridges
Record Date: June 8, 2025
Air Date: June 18, 2025
Intro
Dan:
Welcome to Bunny Trails, a whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase.
I’m Dan Pugh
Shauna:
And I’m Shauna Harrison
Each week we take an idiom or other turn of phrase and try to tell the story from its entry into the English language, to how it’s used today.
Opening Hook
You stormed out. You told your boss exactly what you thought of him. You deleted all your contacts and blocked half your family. Congratulations: you just burned your bridges. Hope you packed a raft.
But why do we use this phrase? And did people actually burn real bridges back in the day to make a point?
Meaning
According to Oxford English Dictionary, the figurative use of the phrase “to burn one's bridges” means:
Quote
to cut oneself off from all possible means of retreat; to do something which makes it impossible to return to an earlier state.
End quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/bridge_n1?tab=meaning_and_use#1264628120
OED notes that the phrase is sometimes used with the ending “behind one” - as in, ‘he burned his bridges behind him.’ The entry also notes,
Quote
With allusion to a military tactic in which an army destroys the route by which it might be pursued, but as a result also cuts off its means of retreat.
End quote
There are similar phrases which replace bridges with another object, the most popular of which is ships or boats.
Here is the entry from Oxford English Dictionary.
Quote
to burn one's boats: to cut oneself off from all chance of retreat. to burn the Thames: to perform some startling prodigy, ‘set the Thames on fire’. to burn the mill (in allusion to letting the millstones become red-hot by friction from want of grist).
End quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/flash_n2?tab=meaning_and_use#4338055
The phrase "burn one's boats" is often attributed to military strategies where leaders eliminated the possibility of retreat to compel their troops to advance. Notable instances include:
Tariq ibn Ziyad in 711 CE - Upon landing in Gibraltar during the conquest of Andalucia, now known as Spain, Tariq reportedly ordered his ships burned, telling his troops, That the sea is behind them and before them, the enemy.
https://www.visit-andalucia.com/muslin-invasion-hispania-711ad/
Hernán Cortés in 1519 - While commonly believed that Cortés burned his ships to prevent retreat during the conquest of Mexico, historical accounts suggest he scuttled or dismantled them instead.
https://about-history.com/hernan-cortes-the-conquest-of-mexico/
There are other historical tales of boats being burned. And while this does involve strong symbolism of a point of no return… burning boats focuses on a leader's resolve to eliminate retreat.
And today, mentioning plans of burning boats typically still refers to a decisive or aggressive action that eliminates any options except success in a given challenge - and it might be used regarding an individual, leader, or a group.
Meanwhile, discussing burning bridges often reflects personal decisions that sever ties to the past. However, it didn’t start out that way.
1745
One of the earliest recorded uses of the phrase burn one’s bridges comes from a letter dated 18 July 1745 by the Duke of Newcastle, found in the work ‘Correspondence of Dukes of Richmond & Newcastle’.
Quote
The Prince of Conti, has certainly passed the Rhine, with His whole Army, burnt His Bridge.
End quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/bridge_n1?tab=meaning_and_use#1264628120
Here, the phrase is used quite literally, describing a military tactic where an army destroys its own bridges after crossing a river — cutting off any chance of retreat and committing fully to the campaign ahead.
This literal military act is the root of the phrase’s later figurative meaning: making a decision so decisive that there is no turning back. This is the same meaning as burning one’s boats.
1892
A more figurative use of the phrase appears in 1892, in Mark Twain’s novel The American Claimant.
Quote
The young Lord Berkeley, with the fresh air of freedom in his nostrils, was feeling invincibly strong for his new career; and yet—and yet—if the fight should prove a very hard one at first, very discouraging, very taxing on untoughened moral sinews, he might in some weak moment want to retreat. Not likely, of course, but possibly that might happen. And so on the whole it might be pardonable caution to burn his bridges behind him.
End quote
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3179/3179-h/3179-h.htm
Here, Twain captures the psychological shift that leads to the idiom’s modern meaning - intentionally removing the option of retreat to strengthen one’s resolve. At this point, the phrase is no longer about literal flames, but about internal commitment.
1914
A figurative use of the phrase appears in Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel Tarzan of the Apes, published in 1914.
Quote
What had she done? Because she had been afraid she might succumb to the pleas of this giant, she had burned her bridges behind her—in her groundless apprehension that she might make a terrible mistake, she had made a worse one.
End quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/bridge_n1?tab=meaning_and_use#1264628120
In this passage, Jane Porter reflects on her decision to reject Tarzan's love, fearing she might yield to his appeals. The phrase "burned her bridges behind her" is used metaphorically to express her realization that, in attempting to avoid a potential mistake, she has irrevocably severed a path that might have led to happiness.
1920
The phrase also appears in a story from The Hays Free Press, published March 2, 1922, out of Kansas, US.
Quote
Hays has one loyal citizen, by adoption, Wolf Binder, who as soon as he landed and sniffed the American ozone, burned his bridges and declared himself an American citizen. He was approached by a man and asked if he wanted employment—stating that he had a job for him. Wolf, seeing that the man was a German, turned the job down, saying, “I could have worked for a Dutchman without coming to America.” The next man that came along was an American and Wolf went to work for him.
End quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84029690/1920-02-26/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1920&index=0&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=Bridges+bridges+Burned+burned+his+His&proxdistance=5&date2=1945&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=burned+his+bridges&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
Here, the phrase is used figuratively to emphasize a complete and deliberate break from his past. In declaring himself an American and refusing to work for fellow Germans, Wolf Binder “burned his bridges,” fully committing to a new identity and national loyalty.
1940
In a political analysis from The Austin American, dated July 20, 1940, out of Washington DC, US, the phrase was used to describe President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s decisive actions leading up to his unprecedented third term campaign.
Quote
The president burned his bridges behind him at Chicago. He insisted on Henry Wallace as his running mate—an immensely significant act, when the course of the New Deal is considered. By that he served notice that he was not going to compromise with the members of his own party whom he regarded as lukewarm on the New Deal.
End quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88085187/1940-11-20/ed-1/seq-18/#date1=1935&index=1&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=bridges+burned+his&proxdistance=5&date2=1945&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=burned+his+bridges&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
Here, “burned his bridges” signals a political point of no return… Roosevelt’s rejection of compromise with conservative elements in his party. The metaphor underscores a deliberate break from past alliances in favor of a more committed ideological direction.
1951
The phrase appeared in an article reflecting on the life and dedication of Mrs. Bain, as published in the St. Croix Avis on September 12, 1951. The St. Croix Avis is out of the US Virgin Islands.
Quote
Mrs. Bain... so delighted with St. Croix and her work here that she had “burned her bridges behind her” and had planned to end her days here. She was active in civic affairs and did much for the inmates. Just when her health began to fail, however, most of the patients were moved to Carville, Louisiana.
End quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84037526/1951-09-12/ed-1/seq-4/#date1=1950&index=0&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=bridges+burned+her&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=burned+her+bridges&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
In this instance, the phrase captures a deep personal commitment—choosing to fully invest in a new chapter of life with no intent of return.
1956
The phrase appeared in the segment ‘Hollywood’ by Sheilah Graham, a syndicated column published in the Evening Star on February 25, 1956, out of Washington, D.C., US.
Quote
I hope Gloria Grahame has not burned her bridges behind her. She’s too good an actress to stay away from Hollywood moviemaking. I’d like to see Evelyn Keyes come back once in a while to make a picture. She’d rather marry Mike Todd, who says he doesn’t want to marry again.
End quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1956-02-25/ed-1/seq-11/#date1=1950&index=2&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=bridges+burned+her&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=burned+her+bridges&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
By this point, we can see that the phrase has made a full transition into popular idiom, applied to personal and career decisions in a figurative sense—where leaving something behind might risk losing a chance to return… and it doesn’t discuss a battle at all.
We have several modern uses to cover and we’ll get to those, right after we say thank you to our sponsors.
A Quick Thank You
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Modern Uses
This is a very popular phrase for song titles. Which makes sense. So we’ll have a few more than we typically would in our modern examples.
1970
In the 1970 film Kelly’s Heroes, Clint Eastwood leads a ragtag group of soldiers on a gold heist behind enemy lines—but the movie’s theme song adds an unexpectedly melancholy layer. “Burning Bridges” by The Mike Curb Congregation plays over the opening and closing credits, its tone is wistful rather than triumphant. Here are some of the lyrics:
Quote
All the burning bridges that have fallen after me
All the lonely feelings and the burning memories
Everyone I left behind each time I closed the door
Burning bridges lost forevermore
End quote
https://youtu.be/HXEUNh4dCmc?si=e-HTP-kmsuUsxIYW
Kelly’s Heroes is a film that blends comedy, cynicism, and action… and the song serves as a sort of surprising emotional counterpoint. It shares the idea that even as we charge ahead, some part of us remains haunted by what it took to get there.
1972
While Kelly’s Heroes gave us a punchy, ironic take on the phrase, Pink Floyd took “Burning Bridges” in a completely different direction. The song appears on Obscured by Clouds, their seventh studio album, which was released in June 1972. The song is dreamy and meditative. Here are some of the lyrics,
Quote
Bridges burning gladly,
Merging with the shadows,
Flickering between the lines.
Stolen moments floating softly on the air,
Born on wings of fire and climbing higher
End quote
https://youtu.be/UXdBuLgfaLU?si=qkHRf8TwId1Ue09K
While they are abstract, the lyrics suggest a kind of peaceful surrender or transition… burning bridges not out of rage or finality, but as a quiet acceptance of change. It’s a gentler, more introspective side of the phrase: not destruction… but closing one chapter to make room for whatever comes next.
1999
In the tech world, public resignations and scorched-earth memos have almost become their own genre. One example that stands out is Jamie Zawinski’s departure from Netscape in the late '90s, specifically 1999. His memo didn’t just announce he was leaving—it explained exactly why, and it stirred up a lot of discussion about burnout and company culture. He burned his bridges on a public platform for the whole world to see.
We’ll take a closer look at that resignation and what made it so memorable in our behind-the-scenes episode which airs every Friday on Patreon. Check it out at Patreon.com/BunnyTrailsPod.
2013
In OneRepublic’s 2013 song “Burning Bridges” from the album Native, the phrase takes on a more personal, emotional weight—focusing not on strategy or finality, but on the ache of watching something meaningful fall apart.
Quote
You and I were meant to be
Ain’t no doubt about it
No way to hide that sort of thing
Now I’m letting go of you
And it’s the hardest thing to do
‘Cause someone in your life
Shouldn’t have to feel this broken
End quote
https://youtu.be/8HaU7Lq0tew?si=4-T6UEKDWtQPAIRL
The song’s refrain of “Stop burning bridges / one by one” reframes the idiom as a plea instead of a declaration. Rather than celebrating the act of cutting ties, the lyrics explore the aftermath… the wreckage, the regret, and the silence that follows. The song really focuses on the emotional cost of severing connections.
2015
Burning Bridges is a painting by Adrian Jones, uploaded in July 2015 to Fine Art America. It shows a close-up of one foot, mid-step, walking across a small bridge. The person is wearing dress pants and a polished shoe… definite business attire vibes. Just behind the foot, the bridge is on fire.
The image doesn’t show the full person—just the bottom of one leg as it moves forward. The flames behind make it clear: the step has been taken, and there’s no going back.
The painting connects very clearly to the phrase burning bridges. It captures the idea of moving forward while leaving something behind - intentionally or not - with no easy way to return.
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/burning-bridges-adrian-jones.html
2021
The phrase finds a modern pop anthem in Sigrid’s 2021 song Burning Bridges, which was released as a single ahead of her second album How to Let Go. The song focuses on the emotional struggle of leaving behind someone you care about… because holding on would mean losing yourself. And here are some of those lyrics:
Quote
you gotta let it go
sometimes you just can’t fix it
you love somebody, love somebody
but you gotta let em go
before you go down with ‘em
can’t love somebody who loves burning bridges
End quote
https://youtu.be/udRAIF6MOm8?si=hNULSyEnyJInJcCa
In her song, “burning bridges” isn’t just about severing ties… it becomes a pattern - basically a red flag - a sign that someone isn’t looking back and doesn’t consider the damage they’ve done. To me, the song speaks more to the courage it takes to walk away, not out of anger, but as a means of self-preservation.
2024
A modern and reflective take on the phrase appears in an article titled “Burn Bridges: Meaning, Usage, and When to Avoid It” by English Plus, published in October 2024 as part of their Daily Shorts series.
Quote
Burning bridges—it’s one of those things that sounds dramatic, but let’s be honest, we’ve all been tempted to do it at some point. Maybe it’s that annoying coworker who just won’t stop undermining you, or a friendship that’s more toxic than supportive. In those moments, it can feel like the most satisfying thing in the world to just cut ties and walk away with a mic-drop exit. But then reality kicks in, and you start wondering—was that really the best move? Because once you burn a bridge, there’s no going back, and life has a funny way of looping back to people and places you thought you left behind for good.
End quote
https://englishpluspodcast.com/burn-bridges-meaning-usage-and-when-to-avoid-it/
This usage doesn’t reference war or retreat, but it does tap into a timeless emotional truth—the temptation to leave scorched earth behind when things get hard. The accompanying illustration reinforces the idea: a lone figure crossing a suspended bridge between two vertical cliff faces while the zigzagging mountain paths—his possible return routes—burn on either side of him. The image and the words together really capture what the idiom has come to mean today: a moment of clarity, finality, and risk, all at once.
Wrap up:
And this really captures what this phrase means to me… that to burn your bridges is to commit… to a choice, a path, a belief… with no way back. There’s risk in it, yes, but also clarity. The phrase isn’t just about destruction - it’s about conviction. It speaks to those moments when we decide that going forward matters more than having the option to retreat. Sometimes, the only way to move ahead is to leave something behind.
Shauna:
That’s about all we have for today. If you have any thoughts on the show, or pop culture references we should have included, reach out to us on Patreon, patreon.com/bunnytrailspod, or comment on our website, bunnytrailspod.com
Dan:
It’s poll time!
Recently we asked our Patrons, with regards to dwellings, what would you choose?
This came up because of an article from Rocket Mortgage talking about the pros and cons for different kinds of homes.
https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/types-of-houses
Single Family homes came in first, with Townhome in second place, Condo in third, and co-op in fourth.
In case you’ve never heard of a co-op, here is a description from that Rocket Mortgage article:
Quote
Also known as a housing cooperative, a co-op is a type of shared housing property. When you buy into a co-op, you are purchasing a share of whatever company owns the building in which your co-op unit sits. You are not buying the actual property in which you live.
Once the rest of the co-op members accept your offer to buy shares, you'll move in and gain a vote on how common spaces are maintained. You'll also split the costs of maintenance, repairs, and other fees with your fellow co-op members.
End Quote
https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/types-of-houses
Heather says:
Quote
I technically live in a townhome, but even though I share a wall it feels like a single family, and its just enough space for me. Plus my neighbor helps me out with the yard. So its worked out good.
End Quote
Shauna:
Cheryl said:
Quote
I live in a co-op and I love it. I'm planning on continuing to live in one for the rest of my life.
End Quote
And Allan adds:
Quote
I said single family because I'm a music teacher, and I want a home that I can teach out of some day. If I did work that didn't call for that sort of space, I'd probably go for an apartment or a condo instead.
I currently live in an apartment, but as soon as I can afford to rent or buy a single family home in my neighbourhood, that's what I'll do.
End Quote
I love the outdoor space that typically goes along with a single family home in the midwest. Having a garden and personal drive and back deck and garden features… you don’t have to actually go anywhere unless you just want to. Which is amazing. But I’m also the type that sort of melds into whatever situation I’m in. So I think I’d be fine living almost anywhere.
Dan
Jan said
Quote
I’m going with single family, not in an HOA. If I want to paint it, plant a garden, etc. I don’t have to ask permission.
End quote
Agree, Jan. I do not like having my neighbors telling me what I can and can’t do with my own home. Though it does provide a bit of a resale benefit. But I don’t think I could handle an HOA, nor do I think it is necessary where I live.
But I love my single family home. I have a decent garden for vegetables, but the climate isn’t great for growing the stuff I want. I’d really like to own a single family home in the tropics with a small amount of land where I can have fruit trees and vegetables and such.
As a reminder, our silly polls mean absolutely nothing and are not scientifically valid. And patrons of all levels, including our free tiers, can take part. Head over to patreon.com/bunnytrailspod to take this week’s poll!
Outro
Dan:
Thanks for joining us. We’ll talk to you again next week. Until then remember,
Together:
Words belong to their users.
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