whittle down
to gradually reduce something
TRANSLATION
whittle down = etwas nach und nach reduzieren --- GOOGLE INDEX whittle down: approximately 400,000 Google hits
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)
---
A shortlist of candidates has been produced and shareholders will WHITTLE these DOWN in successive rounds of voting.
(The Economist)
(The Verge)
---
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
---
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."
