lop off
Prune a branch
To lop off is to cut away, typically with a single stroke: The gardener lopped off the dead branches.
The phrase implies removing something that extends from a larger body—limbs from trees, extremities from people, excess from budgets.
They lopped off two million from the project costs.
- amputateSurgically remove a limb
- severCut apart completely
- exciseRemove by cutting
- chopQuick forceful slice
- trimRemove unwanted edges
truncate · hack away · shear · detach · cleave · axe · prune · cut down · slice · clip · abolish · simplify · dock · remove · saw · streamline · stump · shorten