whittle away

Also found in: Idioms, Encyclopedia.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.whittle away - cut away in small pieces
wear away, whittle down
damage - inflict damage upon; "The snow damaged the roof"; "She damaged the car when she hit the tree"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

w>whittle away

vt sep
bark etc → wegschneiden, wegschnitzen
(= gradually reduce) → allmählich abbauen, nach und nach abbauen; rights, power etc → allmählich or nach und nach beschneiden or stutzen; the benefit/pay increase has been whittled away by inflation → der Gewinn/die Gehaltserhöhung ist durch die Inflation langsam zunichtegemacht worden
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
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References in classic literature
"I daresay I'd be wiser not to whittle away my copy.
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