burn that bridge when one comes to it

Meaning: (idiomatic)To anticipate dealing with aproblemorsituationeither by acting in a manner thatalienatesorcuts tieswith others, or merely with the expectation of encountering trouble.1941, Frank Leslie eds.et al.,The American Magazine, volume132, page44:That takes care of Kay. As for the man, I'llburn that bridge when I come to it.1950, David Albert Davidson,In Another Country, page204:...when the time came in making the inevitable break. Well — he'dburn that bridge when he came to it.1999, Andre Norton, Rosemary Edghill,The Shadow of Albion, page168:Tonight the happy couple were to sleep at Dyer House, as generations of Dukes and their Duchesses had before them, but — as Wessex's partner often said — they wouldburn that bridge when they came to it.2010, Jessica Beck,Fatally Frosted: A Donut Shop Mystery, page62:“We can't do anything about that now. Emma, we'llburn that bridge when we come to it, okay?”2015, Lawrence Block,Defender of the Innocent: The Casebook of Martin Ehrengraf, page110:Clients often whistled a different tune at a later date, but one couldburn that bridge when one came to it.

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