burned to a cinder

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.

See also: burn, cinder, to

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

burned to a cinder

burned very badly. [Very often used figuratively.] I stayed out in the sun too long, and I am burned to a cinder. This toast is burnt to a cinder.

See also: burn, cinder, to

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.