chamuscar

To singe or scorch something — burning it superficially rather than destroying it: chamuscó el pollo antes de cocinarlo, se le chamuscó el pelo con la vela. Distinct from quemar (to burn fully); chamuscar implies a light, surface-level burn.

• Chamuscó las plumas del pollo antes de cocinarlo. — He singed the chicken's feathers before cooking it.
• Se me chamuscó el flequillo con la plancha. — I singed my bangs with the straightener.
• El sol le chamuscó la piel en la playa. — The sun scorched his skin at the beach.

Using chamuscar interchangeably with quemar — chamuscar specifically means a light, surface singe, not the more general or severe burning that quemar covers.

• expression "Salir chamuscado" — A common figurative expression meaning to come out of a bad experience slightly damaged but not destroyed — a lighter, more survivable version of 'getting burned,' often implying a lesson learned along the way.