Whittling

noun
1.
the act of a person who whittles.
2.
Often, whittlings. a bit or chip whittled off.
verb (used with object), whittled, whittling.
1.
to cut, trim, or shape (a stick, piece of wood, etc.) by carving off bits with a knife.
2.
to form by whittling:
to whittle a figure.
3.
to cut off (a bit).
4.
to reduce the amount of, as if by whittling; pare down; take away by degrees (usually followed by down, away, etc.):
to whittle down the company’s overhead; to whittle away one’s inheritance.
verb (used without object), whittled, whittling.
5.
to whittle wood or the like with a knife, as in shaping something or as a mere aimless diversion:
to spend an afternoon whittling.
6.
to tire oneself or another by worrying or fussing.
noun
7.
British Dialect. a knife, especially a large one, as a carving knife or a butcher knife.
verb
1.
to cut or shave strips or pieces from (wood, a stick, etc), esp with a knife
2.
(transitive) to make or shape by paring or shaving
3.
(transitive; often foll by away, down, off, etc) to reduce, destroy, or wear away gradually
4.
(Northern English, dialect) (intransitive) to complain or worry about something continually
noun
5.
(Brit, dialect) a knife, esp a large one
noun
1.
Sir Frank. 1907–96, English engineer, who invented the jet engine for aircraft; flew first British jet aircraft (1941)
Whittle
(wĭt’l)
British aeronautical engineer and inventor who developed the first aircraft engine powered by jet propulsion in 1937.