How To Use Whittle In A Sentence

Flakes with concavities exhibiting steep, unifacial retouch were used to whittle or plane wood, and flakes displaying spurs were used to incise bone or antler.
It's not the first few rounds of the cup, it's the quarter-final and the teams have been whittled down to the last eight.
So much for postcrisis efforts to whittle banks down to a more-manageable size. J.P. Morgan Plays a $20 Billion Hand
Gradually I whittled down my criteria. IN FORKBEARD'S WAKE: Coasting Round Scandinavia
That surplus is being unexpectedly whittled away as the income tax cut and the economic slowdown lower federal tax receipts.

The arches tend to be on high piney ridges, whittled by water and wind and, in the case of a slender pillar at Sky Bridge Arch, by pocketknives.
a scarlet "whittle" over all this motley finery; with a "outwork quoyf or ciffer" (New England French for coiffure) with "long wings" at the side, and a silk or tiffany hood on her drooping head, -- Priscilla in this attire were pretty indeed. Sabbath in Puritan New England
The museum is worried that government funding will be whittled away.
The captain coming up to have a little conversation, and to introduce a friend, seated himself astride of one of these barrels, like a Bacchus of private life; and pulling a great clasp-knife out of his pocket, began to 'whittle' it as he talked, by paring thin slices off the edges. American Notes
Now it's YOUR turn to whittle that list down to five. The Sun
On the 6th May he dined with Her Majesty at Marlborough House; on the 7th he received a deputation from the inhabitants of his native town of Whittlesey, who were desirous of making him a presentation. The Autobiography of Liuetenant-General Sir Harry Smith, Baronet of Aliwal on the Sutlej, G. C. B.
Opponents fiercely whittle down lap times in pursuit of the lead, but sometimes it is the smartest - not the fastest - racers who win the race.
Ten acts are chosen by each mentor who then pits them head-to-head in a battle round where they are whittled down to just five. The Sun
The supplementary tax return shows how to whittle down the gain and claim ER. Times, Sunday Times
Today, the turbojets in many British and American aircraft owe their origins to Whittle and the many Lancashire workers who brought it into production.
I want to whittle away at that 20 years. Christianity Today
I whittled away in my bedroom - I used to drive the cleaners barmy, with shavings around the room.
He whittled a simple toy from the piece of wood.
I believe that the Government's general aim is to whittle away the Welfare State.
The buying effort this year is part of a strategy by Associated to whittle down its exposure to sleepier markets like Michigan in favor of holdings in higher-profile regions like Washington. Associated Estates Has an Appetite for Apartments
They will whittle the five contenders down to two in a series of secret ballots. The Sun
The quantity has been whittled down because the quality was not high enough. Times, Sunday Times
Gradually I whittled down my criteria. IN FORKBEARD'S WAKE: Coasting Round Scandinavia
With a jackknife, he whittled a point on a thin green stick pulled from a maple branch.
A panel will then whittle down the list. Times, Sunday Times
A panel of judges whittled them down to the last three and we thought his was by far the best.
Yorkshire, are said also to have had but one knife, or "whittle," which was deposited under a tree, and if it was not found there when wanted, the "carle" requiring it called out, "Whittle to the tree! The Book of Noodles Stories of Simpletons; or, Fools and Their Follies
A panel will then whittle down the list. Times, Sunday Times
In Caerffili it seems that a particularly multicolour rainbow could appear with the cabinet including former Welsh Secretary, Ron Davies, and Plaid's Lindsay Whittle who stood against Ron in every parliamentary election between 1974 and 1997. Archive 2008-05-01
He had several days of stubble on his chin and his teeth had been whittled down to yellowy stumps. The Crossing-Place
There is greater public interest in protecting private life -- and that interest must tolerate the occasional missed misdemeanour," said Whittle, a former BBC controller of editorial policy.
She was top qualifier in the strokeplay section of the competition which whittled the field down to eight for two knockout rounds.
My awkward phase lasted for 9 long years and only began to whittle away during my junior year of college.
In many places the road was in that condition called repaired, having just been whittled into the required semi-cylindrical form with the shovel and scraper, with all the softest inequalities in the middle, like a hog's back with the bristles up, and Jehu was expected to keep astride of the spine. The Maine Woods
Some buttons and tobacco (Mr Whittle calls it "baccy"), A Book for Kids
By 2003 the lifestyle had whittled away too much of his soul. Times, Sunday Times
Mr Whittle said the football club site was the prime location under consideration, but any more offers of land would be looked at.
I believe that the Government's general aim is to whittle away the Welfare State.
The stick has been whittled down to a sharp point.
Hundreds of hopefuls entered the competition and judges at Boss Model agency have whittled them down to 10 boys and 10 girls.
Sifting through such a volume of applications can become very time consuming and expensive, and employers continue to turn to automated sifting tools such as psychometric tests to whittle down numbers prior to a face to face assessment. Onrec
But appeals, deals and the expiry of the statute of limitations whittled the number in jail down to fewer than 10.
Inflation has whittled away their savings.
Seve cut his sticks to length, whittled a point in the slender end and drove it into the hosel - the round socket at the top of the iron head.
They are sick to the back teeth of their earnings being whittled away. The Sun
The stock looked like it was whittled from a plank instead of a blank, so I purchased another "95% completed" stock and did the outside shaping myself, but another fellow inletted the barreled action. A Brief Guide to Feckless* Rifles
They are sick to the back teeth of their earnings being whittled away. The Sun
He received more than 50 serious applications and whittled the list down to a dozen, based on how experienced they are. Times, Sunday Times
Ice contact features known to early geologists included kettles (correctly interpreted by Whittlesey in 1859) and kames.
But next day, when they returned to the place, the cloud was gone, and the "whittle" was never seen again. The Book of Noodles Stories of Simpletons; or, Fools and Their Follies
He had whittled eight interviewees down to two.
A series of new laws has gradually whittled away at the powers of the trade unions in this country.
When you shear it of all its pomp and extravagance, when you whittle it down to the very basics of musical comedy plotting, Half a Sixpence should work like a lucky charm.
I believe that the Government's general aim is to whittle away the Welfare State.
He received more than 50 serious applications and whittled the list down to a dozen, based on how experienced they are. Times, Sunday Times
The only difficulty I had was to whittle my list down to five. Times, Sunday Times
You can't help wondering why a company that whittled Hamlet down to 90 minutes needs two-and-a-half hours for a relatively obscure Chekhov story.
The quantity has been whittled down because the quality was not high enough. Times, Sunday Times
Their approach is to whittle away at the evidence to show reasonable doubt.
Inflation has steadily whittled away their savings.
In its final throes the decaying rock is whittled down into curious rounded shapes standing in a line, like a queue of shrouded figures.
British goods will become more competitive for international buyers, foreigners will buy more of our stuff and gradually that current account deficit will be whittled away. Times, Sunday Times
During the summer, the Republicans had tried to halt the seemingly inexorable process by which their territory was being whittled away. The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution and Revenge
You can rely on these keen-eyed bowmen to whittle down the enemy's numbers as they advance.
He has whittled away at the government's bureaucratic deadwood, eliminated many redundant agencies and unsnarled much of the red tape that has long made official business a nightmare. Silvio Slips Up
Seve cut his sticks to length, whittled a point in the slender end and drove it into the hosel - the round socket at the top of the iron head.
Deadline is next Friday and the list of applicants will be whittled down in August.
He volleyed as if he was using his racket to whittle wood, slicing this way and that and caressing the ball into submission.
Tendering for the project has been whittled down to two consortia.
In just five years' time, he's whittled down the amount he owes on a $150,000 loan, taken out to rehabilitate his first building, to $58,000.
There is no easy way to carve stone or whittle wood or mould clay or build Stonehenge. Times, Sunday Times
I believe that the Government's general aim is to whittle away the Welfare State.
Then, he painstakingly whittles each one a 10-inch handle with a kitchen knife, and waits till dark.
They will whittle the five contenders down to two in a series of secret ballots. The Sun
The quantity has been whittled down because the quality was not high enough. Times, Sunday Times
The government's majority has been whittled down to eight.
Three Rowntrees bowlers had satisfactory spells with Dave Whittle's 3-21 being the pick of the trio.
Sarah Whittle: A lowercase fall never perceive anybody!
His vertical stripes have been put onto a slant, and whittled down to slender triangles or widened into parallelograms or pyramids.
Vast amounts are whittled away on such concepts as benchmarking and decentralisation, but urgent road projects are still being argued over at Oireachtas committees.
He whittled away at a bullrush (we were sunning by the river, after a swim) and said, "Well, they have earth magic, if you can find a good one. The Bull From The Sea
Now, if I wanted, I could buy a tankini, or a magical patented Slimsuit in an exotic tiger print designed to whittle inches off my waist and keep spectators’ eyes from resting too long on what the tag coyly called my “trouble zones.” Best Friends Forever
Instead, since Sunday they've whittled five games off New York's seven-game National League East lead in an electric atmosphere at the bandbox which is Citizens Bank Park. Phillies working hard for a fairy tale ending
All else is lost to the great cycles of earth history, whittled away by time. THE EARTH: An Intimate History
Our lead was being gradually whittled away.
A determination to overcome long odds was instilled in Whittle at an early age.
By 2003 the lifestyle had whittled away too much of his soul. Times, Sunday Times
Once the judges had whittled the teams down, each school sent just two teams to the main competition.
On Wednesday, their provisional 67-man squad is whittled down to produce a final 37-man selection for this summer's tour to Australia.
He whittled a new handle for his ax.
Between his knees is a stout thong of wood, whittled round by the drawshave which his sleeping hand still holds in his lap. The Atlantic Book of Modern Plays
There's less vox here than on Folk Music, but that leaves plenty of room for Fisk and company to whittle about.
The judges whittled down the entries to nine finalists, and the winner was then chosen by an online vote.
I believe that the archaic attitudes that were displayed in the past are being whittled away very consistently, and that we are now moving quite strongly towards a very commercially focused industry.
After a bit of experimentation, Jill is able to whittle the problem down to four steps that always cause the same behavior.
Don't whittle the stick into a short one.
Sarah Whittle: Don't ever call me crazy, Alan!
Inflation has whittled away their savings.
The stick has been whittled down to a sharp point.
The museum is worried that government funding will be whittled away.
Skewer the marshmallow on an extra-long cooking fork or a stick cut from a tree and whittled to a point.
'Well, you' ave 'ad a day of it,' said Mrs Whittle, when they had told about finding the Teasel gone from the staithe, and how Jim Wooddall had given them a lift down to Yarmouth, and how Old Bob had taken them up Breydon in the Come Along. Coot Club
whittle a piece of wood
His victory is the result of two weeks of frenzied phone and online voting after we whittled down ten finalists from more than 25,000 entries. The Sun
Fresh off the heels of opening his second Bowery canteen, Peels, Mr. Somer plans to decamp to Brooklyn where he will whittle his own line of salvaged wood furniture. 21st-Century Man
The man with the kidney lips folded his knife and stood up and brushed the whittle shavings out of his lap.
Rock thrower shatters windscreen GERALD Whittle was driving with the sun in his eyes and chatting about the weather when a "cannonball" smashed the windscreen of his four-wheel-drive on a Melbourne freeway. AustralianIT.com.au | Top Stories
You will now find that your list has been whittled down to two or three possibilities. 23 Steps to Successful Achievement
All else is lost to the great cycles of earth history, whittled away by time. THE EARTH: An Intimate History
More than 50 students applied to take part following an advert in the student newspaper and were whittled down to the final four by a selection panel.
Seve cut his sticks to length, whittled a point in the slender end and drove it into the hosel - the round socket at the top of the iron head.
Now it's YOUR turn to whittle that list down to five. The Sun
I believe there was a much more serious attempt to pervert the course of justice by concocting a story that shifted the blame to Mr Whittle.
Also on display were his tools - a hammer, saws and knives - whose whittled handles bear elaborate designs and whose blades are made from scrap metal.
He performed with Geoff Love's octet, Ronnie Scott's band, Jack Parnell's big band and Ivor and Basil Kirchin, fitting in a tour of Iceland with Ash in 1953 (billed as "Vic Ash and His Sex Maniacs") before joining the tenorist Whittle's jazz group. Harry Klein obituary
The village was, as she had thought, a dump, where time was whittled away in some vintage manner.
The list was eventually whittled down to just five names and from that came the choice of a model for the character.
Entering series number six, the programme will once again whittle down a select few hopefuls from hundreds of thousands and give them the belief they’ll win an elusive record deal. X Factor Betting Odds: Rebecca Loos To Judge?
Under government ownership, the grazing land was gradually whittled away by privately owned farms.
O'NEIL: Well, 120 hours of rehearsal footage was used to make two hours, like, yes, you could kind of whittle it down here. CNN Transcript Oct 25, 2009
Goddard explains: ‘Gradually we just whittled the novel away.’
He has whittled down the list of people from 30 to 16.
The stick has been whittled down to a sharp point.
He also coined the term "scientifiction", later whittled down to "science fiction". Top stories from Times Online
For the final, the contestants had been whittled down to three. Times, Sunday Times
And pretty it were to see Cicely in her praiseful and godly-walking youth, as she stood primly clad in her sad-colored gown and long apron, with a quoif or ciffer covering her smooth hair, and a red whittle on her slender shoulders, a-singing in the old New England meeting-house through the long, tedious psalms, which were made longer and more tedious still by the drawling singing and the deacons '"lining. Sabbath in Puritan New England
Bill whittled a hand-drill and baseboard out of wood hacked from a fallen palm tree. DESERT ISLAND SOLITAIRE, OR, A GOOD CIGAR IS A SMOKE • by Nick Logan
Women are reported to have liposuction to slim down tubby toes, or unsightly misshapen bones whittled smooth by laser.
THE judges must whittle down the wannabes to the final 32 acts tomorrow night. The Sun
British goods will become more competitive for international buyers, foreigners will buy more of our stuff and gradually that current account deficit will be whittled away. Times, Sunday Times
Eventually the claims were whittled down to around a dozen which had some credibility.
Our judges have whittled down thousands of entries to 40 finalists. The Sun
Inflation has whittled away their savings.
I'm going outside to whittle and then play mumbletypeg. MetaFilter Projects
Sarah Whittle: They grow much faster than bamboo. Take care or they'll come after you.
Governments usually try to whittle down measures that threaten their hold on power. Nations Seek to Make Tunisia Model for Democracy in Region
Whittle, whose primary area of research relates to galaxy formation, presented his cosmic riff at a recent meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Denver.
Those of us old enough to own jackknives whittled scrap lumber into guns that would surely, at least from a distance, fool entire enemy regiments into surrender. WASN'T THE GRASS GREENER A Curmudgeon's Fond Memories
The museum is worried that government funding will be whittled away.
That ilk aren't left, right or middle and they couldn't care less because they're without a moral compass, relying instead on the guidance of a cash dowser that they whittle up for themselves under the tutelage of sc**bags like Goldschmidt and others who perpetuate the cycle of pro abusus publico. Good morning, sycophants (Jack Bog's Blog)
Flakes with concavities exhibiting steep, unifacial retouch (‘spokeshaves’) were used to whittle or plane wood, and flakes displaying spurs were used to incise bone or antler.
We recorded 40 songs for this record and whittled it down but we're going to put out a deluxe double album as well with extra tracks. The Sun
That lead had been whittled down to 21 points. Times, Sunday Times
The panel have to whittle down 54 contestants for the Hollywood round. The Sun
The plot and characterizations have been whittled into the barest of Hollywood hokum.
But for the networks, the PBS Lehrer News Hour included, it was not newsworthy, for certainly it would have cast light on the power of networks to "whittle" down the field of candidates according to their liking. Bread and Circuses and the General Electric Presidential Debate
Mnml" (where did the vowel-less spelling originate, anyway?) may have initially been intended to indicate a certain strain of techno that favored staccato, whittled-down sounds and a general refusal of melody or songform, but as a variety of approaches inspired by minimalism coalesced into a series of tropes, and those tropes themselves came to signify "mnml," the term largely became severed from its original, literal meaning, as though through a process of substition. Philip sherburne
The contest now hots up and votes are vital over the next few weeks as the contestants are whittled down to just two finalists.
This weekend the final six couples are whittled down to five, but who will be dancing to the top of the leaderboard? The Sun
As such, it seems nice and honest of the photography to show the work in the context of the reviewing: that is to say a gallimaufry of unrelated work, whittled down to a small pile.
I only managed to escape by battling my way out of prison with a whittled down toothbrush for a cutlass and grenades fashioned from moist prison socks.
My grandparents owned a small farm, whittled down over the years to about 40 acres of bottomland, in some of the most productive agricultural land in America.
A young man, his angular features sharp as if whittled by a knife, led the self-criticism.
I believe that the Government's general aim is to whittle away the Welfare State.
During the day my lead was whittled down but I managed to keep the Italian player breathing down my neck at bay. Times, Sunday Times
But by verbing the noun "friend," making friends things you collect in grosses rather than whittle slowly in a moonlit workshop, it seems to render ironic the whole concept of friendship. Facebook, the social network? A Harvard perspective
After two weeks of top-class tennis, the Wimbledon field has been whittled down to two finalists.
THE judges must whittle down the wannabes to the final 32 acts tomorrow night. The Sun
A series of new laws has gradually whittled away at the powers of the trade unions in this country.
That lead had been whittled down to 21 points. Times, Sunday Times
We need to whittle down the list of guests for the party.
A determination to overcome long odds was instilled in Whittle at an early age.
Gradually the lead was whittled down until there were only three points between the sides with a few minutes remaining.
There is no easy way to carve stone or whittle wood or mould clay or build Stonehenge. Times, Sunday Times
For the final, the contestants had been whittled down to three. Times, Sunday Times
WHITTLE: I tell people, after you have done all your homework, all of the, what I call the easy stuff, the stuff that any do-it - yourselfer can do, get an energy audit. CNN Transcript Dec 6, 2008
Michael Whittle's art concerning biology records the disjunctive dialogue between mind and nature.
Johnnie, who loved to "whittle" above all things, dried her tears, and ran for her shade hat; and by the time the tiny brown seeds were sprinkled into the brown earth of the borders, both the girls were themselves again. Clover
The only difficulty I had was to whittle my list down to five. Times, Sunday Times
We need to whittle down the list of guests for the party.
I whittled down the selection to a long sleeveless black tunic type sweater (hides a multitude of sins and gallons of ingested chili beans and Frito Scoops), a gray skirt with a hint of shiny to it, a stretchy black skirt (key word stretchy) in a fun busy print designed to camouflage my chips and queso thighs, and Blonde Mom Blog
Once a group containing the talents of myriad emcees, they were whittled down to a more tidy, and probably more manageable five for their first major release: ‘As the World Burns.’
During the summer, the Republicans had tried to halt the seemingly inexorable process by which their territory was being whittled away. The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution and Revenge
During the day my lead was whittled down but I managed to keep the Italian player breathing down my neck at bay. Times, Sunday Times
The panel have to whittle down 54 contestants for the Hollywood round. The Sun
Our lead was being gradually whittled away.
KORMAN: Well, we had a team, a great team of photo editors from leading newspapers and magazines around the country, and on a daily basis, they would whittle it down, and at night, we would have what we call a bake off where the whole production team got together and voted on what images would make it to the next day. CNN Transcript May 16, 2003
The System's mother lode of heavy metals had been whittled away through millennia of astroengineering. The Ghost from the Grand Banks
I want to whittle away at that 20 years. Christianity Today
The archives will be shipped with a full-scale reproduction of Mailer's ego for articulate Third Wave feminists to whittle down in a nanosecond.
This weekend the final six couples are whittled down to five, but who will be dancing to the top of the leaderboard? The Sun
The round sees mentors whittle their six finalists down to the three who will compete on the live shows. The Sun
With a jackknife, he whittled a point on a thin green stick pulled from a maple branch.
If your salary and benefits keep getting whittled away, eventually you have to take a stand against that.
Tory MPs will whittle the candidates down to two in a series of ballots starting on October 18.
We were also working on the Mirischia project, the Leedsichthys dig at Whittlesey (Leedsichthys was a giant Jurassic filter-feeding fish, equivalent in size to a small whale), the palaeopathology project, and other stuff. ‘Angloposeidon’, the unreported story, part III
You will now find that your list has been whittled down to two or three possibilities. 23 Steps to Successful Achievement
He whittled the piece of wood into a simple toy.
She stepped in the draughty passageway, whittled by fresh winds though it was summer.
Ironically, I parlayed that paper into my Master's Thesis, but the theory was gradually whittled away from each successive draft until all that remained was one mention of Althusser in a footnote. Priorities
The edges were whittled down a little to make a smooth handle, and the ends were chamfered.
People inevitably are changed by their contact with a global network of humanity, Whittle says.
Gwyneth sat leisurely before the hearth with her needlework and Bolsgar idly whittled on a short branch. THE WOLF AND THE DOVE
The government's majority has been whittled down to eight.
Less exalted were the humble whittlers, and in between were joiners and cabinetmakers, who were the only woodworkers paid for their efforts.
As she watched her lead gradually whittled away on election night, she could hear the first grumblings of discontent among the party faithful.
After much careful deliberation, I had finally managed to whittle my wishes down to just two.
Our judges have whittled down thousands of entries to 40 finalists. The Sun
The captain coming up to have a little conversation, and to introduce a friend, seated himself astride of one of these barrels, like a Bacchus of private life; and pulling a great clasp-knife out of his pocket, began to "whittle" it as he talked, by paring thin slices off the edges. American Notes
They play'd me sik a deevil o 'a shavie that I daur say if my harigals were turn'd out, ye wad see twa nicks i' the heart o 'me like the mark o' a kail-whittle in a castock. The Complete Works of Robert Burns: Containing his Poems, Songs, and Correspondence. With a New Life of the Poet, and Notices, Critical and Biographical by Allan Cunningham

How To Use Whittle In A Sentence

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