Does "burn something up" mean "extinct"? Is there any other meaning to "burn something up"?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
"Burn it all up" here is actually referring to "energy" as mentioned earlier in the sentence. The speaker is saying that it is vital to conserve energy in a survival situation, so you need to be careful to not "burn up" (use up) all your energy trying to get food (i.e. opening the coconut). Ex. I burnt up all my energy at work. I need to relax at home. Ex: I told my kids to play outside to burn off some energy.