For example, many drivers simply have scalded their fingertips on start buttons that have been baking in exposure to the sun.

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So at the gun, I took off like a scalded dog and hit the mile in 4: 50, about 50 yards out front.

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Keller says that was especially striking for a lawmaker who was scalded years ago by his relatively minor role in the Keating Five scandal.

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McDonald's has suffered similar legal action in the US. A few years ago, it was ordered to pay a substantial amount to a customer who was scalded by its coffee.

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