The Clue
Scorch; dry up (4 letter answer)
The Answer
SEAR
Tags
Notes
The answer SEAR is seen frequently, appearing about once every 90 puzzles.
Related Clues
Brand
Burn
Cauterize
Char
Desiccate
Parch
Scorch
Affix a brand to
Blacken, in a way
Brown a roast
Burn slightly
Burn the surface of
Char-broil
Char, as a steak
Char the surface
Cook quickly
Cook's instruction
Gunlock part
Part of a rifle
Rifle part
Gunlock hammer holder
Mark with a branding iron
Definition
SEAR as a verb:
1. (sear, scorch) = make very hot and dry; "The heat scorched the countryside"
2. (scorch, sear, singe) = become superficially burned; "my eyebrows singed when I bent over the flames"
3. (char, blacken, sear, scorch) = burn slightly and superficially so as to affect color; "The cook blackened the chicken breast"; "The fire charred the ceiling above the mantelpiece"; "the flames scorched the ceiling"
4. (parch, sear) = cause to wither or parch from exposure to heat; "The sun parched the earth"
SEAR as an adjective:
1. (dried-up, sere, sear, shriveled, shrivelled, withered) = (used especially of vegetation) having lost all moisture; "dried-up grass"; "the desert was edged with sere vegetation"; "shriveled leaves on the unwatered seedlings"; "withered vines"