whittle
Shave wood slowly
Whittle is to carve or shape wood by cutting small pieces away with a knife, typically as a leisurely pastime rather than serious craftwork.
The word extends naturally to any gradual reduction: you can whittle down a list of candidates, whittle away at someone's resolve, or watch savings get whittled to nothing.
He whittled the stick into a rough point.
Budget cuts have whittled the staff down to a skeleton crew.
Sculpting in timber
- knifeSharp cutting utensil
- shavingsThin strips removed
- chipSmall broken-off piece
- notchV-shaped incision
basswood · balsa · stick · figurine · sculpture · curls · blade · pocketknife
Craft of shaping lumber
- handmadeCreated manually, not mechanically
- artisanSkilled manual tradesperson
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
- hobbyRecreational leisure activity
patience · skill · tradition · folk · rustic · handcraft · primitive · Appalachian
woodcarving
Sculpting in timber
notch · basswood · balsa · stick · figurine · sculpture · curls · blade · pocketknife · jackknife
pare
Remove outer layer
diminish · lessen · decrease · shrink · narrow · prune · chip away · wear down · erode · grind down
woodworking
Craft of shaping lumber
- handmadeCreated manually, not mechanically
- artisanSkilled manual tradesperson
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
hobby · patience · skill · tradition · folk · rustic · handcraft · primitive · Appalachian · scout
narrow down
Reduce to fewer options
- pare downReduce by removing excess
- streamlineRemove unnecessary elements
- winnowSort by blowing air
sift · cull · eliminate · shortlist · focus · hone · distill · condense · prioritize · select
- whittle downReduce incrementally
- whittle down to sizeReduce something oversized gradually
- whittling knifeSmall blade for woodcarving
- whittled down to sizeGradually reduced to appropriate scale
whittled, whittling, whittles, whittler, whittlers, whittlings, whittle down