A free service provided by Writers Nexus International

Writing Resources:
  • New Novelist Software
  • Writer Circles
  • Author Me
  • FirstWriter.com
  • Novel Advice
  • Robin's Nest for Writers
  • The Scriptorium
  • Women on Writing


A Writer's Dictionary:

whittle something away Definition


Dictionary Home » Words Starting with W » white paper ... whooper swan » whittle something away


whittle
verb whittled, whittling
    1. To cut, carve or pare (a stick or piece of wood, etc) with a knife.
      Thesaurus: carve, pare, shape, trim.
    2. To shape or fashion something by this means.
Derivative: whittler
noun
    Etymology: Anglo-Saxon thwitan to cut.

    Phrasal Verb: whittle something away
      To consume it bit by bit; to eat away at it or erode it.
    Phrasal Verb: whittle something down
      To reduce it gradually or persistently.


    Click Here