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Wiktionary
scorched-earth policy

alt. 1 (context military English) A strategy that involves destroying buildings, crops, and other resources that could be useful to opponents. 2 (context figuratively English) An intentional course of action that is drastic or ruinous. n. 1 (context military English) A strategy that involves destroying buildings, crops, and other resources that could be useful to opponents. 2 (context figuratively English) An intentional course of action that is drastic or ruinous.

WordNet
scorched-earth policy

n. the target company defends itself by selling off its crown jewels

Wikipedia
Scorched-Earth Policy (band)

Scorched-Earth Policy is a thrash metal band from Oakland, California. It was formed in 1997 by current members Mark Lamb, and Lance Lea.

Members of this act have included long established musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. Current and former members of Scorched-Earth Policy have been in such notable acts as Acid King, Forbidden (band), Testament (band), WarDance, and Manmade God.

Every release since the Bootcamp demo has been engineered by Thilo Fehlinger, who has worked with Death Angel, and Exodus (band) to name a few.

Usage examples of "scorched-earth policy".

They had ruthlessly conducted a scorched-earth policy from which it would take generations to recover.

Between us we control almost fifty percent of the total ground area of Mozambique, and another forty percent of the country is a destruction zone over which we are forced to maintain a scorched-earth policy to prevent Frelinio growing either food for their troops or cash crops to finance their war effort against us.

The Guardians were trying to stop the Army with a scorched-earth policy, depriving it of what it needed to survive.

But when Lord Kitchener embarked on a scorched-earth policy, and rounded up the civilian population into concentration camps, the outcome was ordained.

In the end they had driven back the robot invaders, but Omnius had instructed the thinking machine fighters to follow a scorched-earth policy along their retreat.

Then he hung up the phone, hyperventilated, and sent Missy to the pharmacy to buy copious quantities of A-200 pyrinate Liquid, Cuprex, Kwell cream and Kwelll otion--and a thermite bomb just to be prepared in the event a scorched-earth policy proved necessary.

Punter, the cook, away visiting relatives in Walham Green, had been prepared by the kitchenmaid, an indifferent performer who had used the scorched-earth policy on the bacon again.

Vampires usually employed a kind of scorched-earth policy, killing without thinking, changing a kill over on a whim, and not looking back.