Scattering ashes to the four winds, dust to dust, leaves no memorial - but it also means no one has to bother with any time-consuming tending.

By the time the monks had closed in on the body and sprinkled holy water, there was little more than ashes left.

The ashes left after a cremation are sometimes referred to by the neologism cremains, a portmanteau of "cremation" and "remains".

She broke off, as though she could not continue, then she went on: "There were only ashes left to me of him.

One of his French cigarettes was already dangling between his lips and the ashes fell off and left a big mark on his white robe.

Blood and ashes, if you can't pull your wits out of the wine enough to talk straight, I'll leave now.

The ground, as yet, was barely damp -why were only ashes left of the good-sized blaze they'd set not long before?

Possibly my grief for my lost loved ones had burned so fiercely that already there were only ashes left.

A second later, there were only ashes left.

The coals inside had long grown cold, but the bowl was heavy with the ashes left inside.