Blackened to char?

Question

"Blackened to char"ie. After the house fire, everything had been blackened to char.Is that correct English? Does it even make sense? I would think that "charred to black" is okay, but perhaps it doesn't work the other way around.

Ivanhr · Accepted Answer

I think I'd probably say something like

After the hotel fire, everything was reduced/burned to char.

Also note that I used the simple past (was reduced) but I guess the past perfect could work depending on context.

Anonymous · Answer

Anonymous"Blackened to char"ie. After the house fire, everything had been blackened to char.Is that correct English? Does it even make sense? I would think that "charred to black" is okay, but perhaps it doesn't work the other way around.

Yes, I'm baffled too. I've even found an excerpt from the on-line, written in a series, novel 'STORY BY MOB' where this expression is used: " Unbelievable waves of heat and light blanket the room. Barely adjusted I can make out what seems like an operating room on the other side of the glass. Standing in the middle is the dark shadow of, what? It can't be a man, not in the middle of that pyrotechnic tempest. The shadow turns, it approaches. After a few seconds of eternity it makes it close enough for me to see. It is a man, or what's left of one, blackened to char, but his eyes still so clear and staring right at me."

All but one (Webster's international Dictionary - 3rd edition) English-English dictonaries I've consulted do not state the word 'char' as a noun meaning 'charred substance or remains'. So, I'd be careful about using it and try to use other metaphor in such a context.

Ivanhr · Answer

This one also lists the noun char http://www.thefreedictionary.com/char

Blackened to char?

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