whittle down
to gradually reduce something
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
There are dozens of podcasts apps to choose from on Android, and WHITTLING DOWN the list can be difficult.
(The Verge)
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A shortlist of candidates has been produced and shareholders will WHITTLE these DOWN in successive rounds of voting.
(The Economist)
(The Verge)
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A shortlist of candidates has been produced and shareholders will WHITTLE these DOWN in successive rounds of voting.
(The Economist)
Did you
know?
verbal phrase
- to gradually make something smaller or less important
(Cambridge Dictionary)
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The verb "whittle" is a 16th century term that originally referred to cutting thin shavings from something, usually wood, with a knife (from the Middle English "whittel," or knife, especially a large one).
In Hollywood westerns they sometimes showed men carving a piece of wood or tree branch with a knife, either to make an object or to simply pass the time. This is what whittle means in a literal sense. If you sharpen a pencil, for those who actually use pencils these days, another way to express it would be to "whittle down."
Whittling is a somewhat lost art meanwhile, but the word lives on in more of a figurative sense to describe making something smaller. It's often used with the prepositions "down" and "away." For instance, if you have a long list of things to do or take care of, you might whittle the list down until you no longer feel under pressure. Or if a company has debt, it may want to whittle it down.
A football team that falls behind during a game can "whittle away" at the opposing team's lead until they have a chance of winning the match. Even discussions or arguments can involve whittling. If someone presents a list of reasons why they oppose something as an example, someone else might whittle away at their arguments, meaning they refute the other person's reasons one by one.
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SYNONYMS
carve, hip away at, cut down, decrease, diminish, pare down, reduce, shave, trim, wear away
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"We need to whittle down the list of candidates for the new job opening."
- to gradually make something smaller or less important
(Cambridge Dictionary)
---
The verb "whittle" is a 16th century term that originally referred to cutting thin shavings from something, usually wood, with a knife (from the Middle English "whittel," or knife, especially a large one).
In Hollywood westerns they sometimes showed men carving a piece of wood or tree branch with a knife, either to make an object or to simply pass the time. This is what whittle means in a literal sense. If you sharpen a pencil, for those who actually use pencils these days, another way to express it would be to "whittle down."
Whittling is a somewhat lost art meanwhile, but the word lives on in more of a figurative sense to describe making something smaller. It's often used with the prepositions "down" and "away." For instance, if you have a long list of things to do or take care of, you might whittle the list down until you no longer feel under pressure. Or if a company has debt, it may want to whittle it down.
A football team that falls behind during a game can "whittle away" at the opposing team's lead until they have a chance of winning the match. Even discussions or arguments can involve whittling. If someone presents a list of reasons why they oppose something as an example, someone else might whittle away at their arguments, meaning they refute the other person's reasons one by one.
---
SYNONYMS
carve, hip away at, cut down, decrease, diminish, pare down, reduce, shave, trim, wear away
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"We need to whittle down the list of candidates for the new job opening."
