whittled
Carved with blade
Whittled is the past tense of whittle, meaning to carve or shape wood by cutting away small pieces with a knife: He whittled a stick into a sharp point.
Figuratively, to whittle something down is to reduce it gradually: Budget cuts whittled the staff down to a skeleton crew.
She whittled away at her debt over several years.
Sharp cutting utensil
- shavingsThin strips removed
- woodworkCraft of building with lumber
- figurineSmall ornamental sculpture
- chiselEdged carving implement
handmade · artisan · wooden · sculpture · carving · pocketknife · block · stick
Removed outer covering
- trimmedCut to neaten
- diminishedMade or became smaller
- decreasedBecame smaller in amount
- narrowedMade less wide
shortened · cut down · streamlined · stripped · simplified · condensed · shaved · winnowed
Damaged by use
- graduallyIn slow stages
- slowlyAt reduced speed
- steadilyIn constant, unwavering fashion
- chipped awayRemoved in fragments
eaten away · over time · persistence · patience · attrition · incremental · bit by bit · piece by piece
knife
Sharp cutting utensil
chisel · handmade · artisan · wooden · sculpture · carving · pocketknife · block · stick · relief
pared
Removed outer covering
- trimmedCut to neaten
- diminishedMade or became smaller
- decreasedBecame smaller in amount
narrowed · shortened · cut down · streamlined · stripped · simplified · condensed · shaved · winnowed · slimmed
worn
Damaged by use
chipped away · eaten away · over time · persistence · patience · attrition · incremental · bit by bit · piece by piece · dwindled
- whittle downReduce incrementally
- whittle down to sizeReduce something oversized gradually
- whittling knifeSmall blade for woodcarving
- whittled down to sizeGradually reduced to appropriate scale
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