WordNet
chip away at
v. remove or withdraw gradually: "These new customs are chipping away at the quality of life" [syn: chip away]
Usage examples of "chip away at".
One crew of their elders used hand axes to chip away at the rock beneath the statue.
He could chip away at that compartment of water ice and not die of thirst, but he couldn’.
He could chip away at that compartment of water ice and not die of thirst, but he couldn't convert it and take a shower.
His personality was too narrow, his belief in his own rectitude too unhesitating and unquestioning, for something as minor as eight years as a POW to chip away at.