whittle
verb
[ ˈwɪt(ə)l ]
• carve (wood) into an object by repeatedly cutting small slices from it.
• "he was sitting at the tent door, whittling a piece of wood with a knife"
• reduce something in size, amount, or extent by a gradual series of steps.
• "the shortlist of fifteen was whittled down to five"
Similar:
erode,
wear away,
eat away,
consume,
use up,
reduce,
diminish,
undermine,
weaken,
threaten,
sabotage,
subvert,
compromise,
destroy,
impair,
mar,
spoil,
ruin,
impede,
hinder,
damage,
hurt,
injure,
cripple,
disable,
enfeeble,
emasculate,
sap,
shake,
break,
crush,
cut down,
cut back,
cut,
prune,
trim,
slim down,
pare down,
salami-slice,
shrink,
make cutbacks in,
lessen,
decrease,
make reductions in,
scale down,
Origin:
mid 16th century: from dialect whittle ‘knife’.
