whittle down

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Related to whittle down: whittle away, take it on the chin, cut some slack, catch you later, run an errand

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Verb

whittle down - cut away in small pieces

wear away, whittle away

damage - inflict damage upon; "The snow damaged the roof"; "She damaged the car when she hit the tree"

Translations

w>whittle down

vt sep

piece of wood → herunterschneiden; to whittle down to size → zurechtschneiden, zurechtstutzen

(= reduce) → kürzen, reduzieren, stutzen (→ to auf +acc); gap, difference → verringern

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 periodicals archive ?

The transfer of 12 Yemeni nationals and three Afghans to the UAE comes amid a renewed push to whittle down the number of detainees held at the U.S.

15 GuantEinamo detainees sent to UAE

The TV judges arrived at London's Emirates Stadium with Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh to whittle down the entries for the ITV show.

X Factor judges hit gold standard

According to sources, the federal Interior Ministry dispatched a letter to the Punjab government apprising that terror attacks are feared at parks in the city; accordingly, Punjab police directed Punjab Parks and Horticultural Authority to ramp up security at parks and other recreational sites and whittle down their timings from 12:00 am.