Scorches the cover of the time tables (6)
I believe the answer is:
charts
'tables' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'scorches the cover of the time' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is found within the answer.
'scorches' could be 'chars' ('char' can be a synonym of 'scorch') and 'chars' is located in the remaining letters.
This accounts for all the letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for charts that I've seen before include "Maps to assist navigation by air or sea" , "Maps; plans" , "Sheets of tables, graphs or diagrams" , "Maps to aid navigation" , "Maps for captains" .)