Scorched Earth
Preserved but no longer current.
A phrase coined to describe the Chinese policy (as old as war) of retreating before the Japanese and burning the country- side as they went, in the war which began m 1937. It was a phrase much used in World War II.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Scorched Earth” mean?
A phrase coined to describe the Chinese policy (as old as war) of retreating before the Japanese and burning the country- side as they went, in the war which began m 1937. It was a phrase much used in World War II.
Is “Scorched Earth” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.