chip away at

And with energy prices high, they trying to appeal to people like Ms. Conrad, who are looking for ways to chip away at expenses.

Such a shift would chip away at what has been a substantial source of dollar-buying in recent years.

They are always trying to chip away at big government, big business, big unions, big influence.

That will almost certainly preclude them from overturning health-care reform, though they will try to chip away at it.

I'll chip away at it for 30 minutes every few days until it's complete.

One of the deadliest habits that chip away at children's self-confidence is any form of stereotyping.

Biofuels, including ethanol and biodiesel, will continue to chip away at demand in the world's largest consumer of motor fuels, he said.

Facing a daunting problem in natural history, Darwin would obstinately chip away at it until its secrets relented.

I'm not going to let you chip away at my career.

Among the other risks: Persistent unemployment will mean less tax revenue, making it harder to chip away at federal budget deficits.

The deal is Microsoft's latest attempt to chip away at the dominance of the search leader, .

Google continues to chip away at Microsoft's business but this latest move is no more than a trumpet call in that long battle.

All her life, little by little, he's tried to chip away at her hopes!

With the Depression-era fading from memory, the increasingly powerful banking industry started to chip away at the provisions.

We must not let globalization chip away at the fabric of our intrinsic identity and indigenous values.

But snoring regularly can chip away at the quality of your own sleep.

It pretty much represents an entirely new framework that other researchers will chip away at for years to come.

It's not a panacea, but cracking down on demand seems a useful way to chip away at 21st-century slavery.

But competitors have begun to chip away at its dominance.

Mr Venizelos may chip away at the edges by closing down some outdated state entities and selling shares in some profitable state companies.

Our expectations for our children and our reactions and words to them can give them votes of confidence or chip away at their self-worth.

By practicing these agreements, we can chip away at all the self-defeating beliefs we've created within us.

The new manager learned to chip away at the firm's methods, rather than try to change everything at once.

Help the team find some aspect of the problem to chip away at.

First in this plan, Hamas wants to expand the circle of countries that support it and chip away at the bloc opposing it.

If we admit that people need advice, we chip away at the foundations of most economic thought.

But whether it can chip away at Microsoft's dominance in the market remains unclear.

This is a hard rock. You may have to chip away at it for hours

chip away at sth. continuously break off small pieces from sth