burn (someone or something) to a cinder
1. To burn something, typically when cooking it, to the extent that it is completely charred and blackened. I forgot about the bread I'd put in the oven and burned it to a cinder. A: "What the heck is that?" B: "Well, it was meatloaf, before I burned it to a cinder." It's not like you burned the roast to a cinder, so we can just scrape off those blackened bits and eat the rest of it.
2. To burn someone severely (typically referring to sunburn). Often used in passive constructions. If you lay on the beach all day without any sunscreen, you'll get burned to a cinder. I hope you're wearing sunscreen. The sun is supposed to come out later, and it'll burn you to a cinder. I got burned to a cinder because I went to the pool and somehow didn't know notice that my sunscreen wasn't water-resistant.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
burn to a cinder
Also, burn to a crisp. Destroy by fire; overcook. For example, If I stay in the sun too long, I'll be burnt to a cinder, or He's an awful cook-dinner was burnt to a crisp. Although both expressions can be used literally, they also function as hyperbole, as in the examples.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
burn something to a ˈcinder/ˈcrisp
cook something for too long or with too much heat, so that it becomes badly burnt: Alan left the potatoes for so long that they were burnt to a crisp.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017