Today , we talk about burning and the effects of extreme heat . There is a special word for this . Scorch is a damaged area or mark that is caused by burning . Scorch is also a verb . When we scorch something , we burn it . But scorch sounds more serious than a burn . For example , I would not say I scorched dinner . I would say I burned it . Sometimes we use it to describe a verb meaning to produce extreme heat . For example , the sun scorched the bare earth . And that brings us to today's expression – scorched-earth . Scorched-earth describes a kind of policy or way of doing something . For example , it is a kind of military policy . This policy makes sure that all resources – houses , food crops , factories , vehicles – are destroyed before an enemy can use them . You destroy all things of value so that they cannot be used against you . A scorched-earth approach is also used in the world of business . It is similar to the military policy . A scorched-earth approach is when a company gets rid of the best parts of its business during a hostile takeover . This is to make it less appealing to another company that might want to buy it . We turn to a last-ditch effort when everything else has failed . Once everything is destroyed … there is no going back . It is a “point of no return .” However , when you burn bridges , relationships with others is the only thing you are destroying . So , these two expressions – burning bridges and scorched-earth are not interchangeable . But they have a similar goal -- destruction . Let's say a friend of mine , Georgina , was a talent agent . She represented many successful writers , artists and musicians in a large city . When the business got too big , she opened an agency with her friend , Stephanie . They grew the company , and it was very profitable . Georgina had all the contacts , but Stephanie knew how to oversee a company -- maybe too well . One day , Georgina arrived to the office to find herself locked out ! Her “friend ” had tricked her into signing away her rights to the company . Georgina was out . She found that legally there was nothing she could do . So , she did the only thing she could do . Georgina knew the most valuable things the company owned were the contacts she had . So , she burned all her bridges and destroyed the relationships with all those contacts . But , in time , the agency failed . Stephanie is still looking for work . But Georgina moved to a beautiful island and opened a restaurant .