You can sometimes see bright flashes - that's actually hot enough to vaporise very small amounts of metal.

BBC: Railway tracks

This is because the energy of the impact will vaporise any water crystals that are mixed in with the soil.

ECONOMIST: Creative destruction

We wrote the provision because when high-risk investing blows up, it should vaporise only the funds of investors, not the credit essential for a strong economy.

ECONOMIST: Letters

Where British troops aim to expend no more bullets than is necessary, American troops, confident in their logistical support, aim to vaporise their foe in a storm of fire.

ECONOMIST: British troops face fiercer fights in Iraq