Definition of "broiling"

But the butterflies were dead. A whiff of rotten eggs had vanquished the pale clouded yellows which came pelting across the orchard and up Dods Hill and away on to the moor, now lost behind a furze bush, then off again helter-skelter in a broiling sun.

1922 October 26, Virginia Woolf, chapter II, in Jacob’s Room, Richmond, London: […] Leonard & Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press; republished London: The Hogarth Press, 1960, page 21

Likewise, when mixed broilings or skewered meats are offered, they can be kept warm or finished on a modest-sized table-top grill.

1974, Bruce H. Axler, Showmanship in the Dining Room, page 30

Broiling is but another way of roasting those cuts of meat which have a broad, flat surface such as steaks, chops, or cutlets. And in broiling them the heat must be so intense that the meat surface is quickly seared, the pores sealed and every particle of flavor and rich juices imprisoned.

1922, “The Bride’s Cookery Primer”, in Good Housekeeping, volume 74, page 66

Broiling is the most perfect way of cooking meat and fish. There are three ways of broiling,—what is known as broiling proper, pan broiling and oven broiling. Broiling proper is to broil directly over the coals; the fire must be hot, clear and free from smoke.

2007, Suzanne Tracy, Practical Cook Book, Applewood Books, page 21