What Does “burn one’s boats” mean?
Definition:
To cut oneself off from all chance of retreat; to stake everything on success.
Variations of this idiom include:
– Burn one’s boats.
– Burn one’s bridges.
– Point of no return.
– Break the kettles and sink the boats.
The origin of the phrase
The idiom ‘burn one’s boats’ alludes to an incident where a commander, having landed in a hostile country, ordered his soldiers to destroy their ships, so that they would have to conquer the country or be killed. One such event occured in 711 AD, when Muslim forces invaded the Iberia, Spain. Tariq Ibn Zyad, who led a large army and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from the North African coast, consolidated his troops at what is today known as the Rock of Gibraltar. The name “Gibraltar” is the Spanish derivation of the Arabic name Jabal ṬÄriq, meaning “mountain of ṬÄriq”, which is named after him. When Tariq crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, he burned the ships and spoke to his soldiers:
“Oh my warriors, whither would you flee? Behind you is the sea, before you, the enemy. You have left now only the hope of your courage and your constancy. Remember that in this country you are more unfortunate than the orphan seated at the table of the avaricious master. Your enemy is before you, protected by an innumerable army; he has men in abundance, but you, as your only aid, have your own swords, and, as your only chance for life, such chance as you can snatch from the hands of your enemy. If the absolute want to which you are reduced is prolonged ever so little, if you delay to seize immediate success, your good fortune will vanish, and your enemies, whom your very presence has filled with fear, will take courage…”
Example(s)
I heard you were quitting and proceeded to start your own business without having enough emergency funds. My advice to you is not to burn your boats.
He’ll be burning his boats if he tells her all the details of the deal.