Crossword Genius

Burn small spike (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sear

'burn' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'small spike' is the wordplay.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'spike' becomes 'ear' ('ear' can be a synonym of 'spike'**).
's'+'ear'='SEAR'

(Other definitions for sear that I've seen before include "Burn briefly" , "Burn, scorch intensely" , "Cauterise" , "Scorch, brand" , "Cauterize" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.
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