Green’s Dictionary of Slang

astounding, sensational, licentious, risqué; thus scorchingly adv.

1887		Lantern (N.O.) 16 July 2: A scorching denouncement as to her conduct down town.
1897		Referee 24 Oct. 3/1: A said-to-be scorching play entitled ‘At the Foot of the Altar’ [F&H].
1903		A. Binstead Pitcher in Paradise 269: Swears had had a particularly scorching Thursday night.
1914		Day Book (Chicago) 13 Jan. 31/1: They adopted a set of scorching resolutions condemning the Wisconsin vice investigators.
1927		(con. 1914–18) L. Nason Three Lights from a Match 177: That’s from carryin’ such scorchin’ language.
1957		Kerouac letter 11 Nov. in Charters II (1999) 83: Let’s go ahead with this little bomb, this scorching novella, especially while I’m on the bestseller list.
1962		A. Wesker Chips with Everything I i: The last lot we ’ad ’ere ’ad a good time, a right time, a right good scorching time.
1982		L. Cody Bad Company 20: They don’t exactly have a scorching social life, do they?
1999		Guardian Rev. 6 Nov. 1: A scorchingly honest book about bulimia and anorexia.