To commit oneself to an irreversible course of future events

He's quitting his job to go and work for a competitor. I hope he realizes that he's burning his boats

Ha dato le dimissioni per andare a lavorare da un concorrente. Spero che si renda conto che vuol dire bruciare i vascelli dietro di sé

When David was forced to leave the company, he really burned his boats by lashing out at his superiors

Quando Davide è stato obbligato a lasciare la ditta, ha veramente bruciato i vascelli insultando apertamente i suoi superiori

From the French Brûler ses vaisseaux. Some great military leaders used the tactics of burning their boats after landing on a conquered land in order to prevent their soldiers from retreating and force them to fight to go forwards. The first to use this technique was Agathocles, tyrant of Syracuse (IV century B.C.). Other examples in history: William the Conqueror, who landed in England in 1066 and won at Hastings; Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia, who won the battle of Durazzo in 1081; finally Cortés who destroyed all of his fleet in 1519, before starting marching toward inner Mexico.