the.com/scorching
Heat just shy of fire, applied to weather, criticism, and pace alike.
means Burning or near-burning hot, or figuratively so harsh and intense it feels like it leaves a mark.
from From Middle English scorchen, to burn the surface; likely tangled with Old French escorchier, to flay — heat that takes the skin off literally or rhetorically.
Surface onlyScorching singes the outside, not the core.
Triple dutyDescribes weather, insults, and racing speeds.
Earth scienceScorched-earth tactics burn everything to deny enemies.