chisel away

1. Literally, to chip or cut something away (from something else) with or as if with a chisel. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "chisel" and "away." The sculptor chiseled bits of marble away until slowly his vision began to take shape. I had to use a screwdriver to chisel away the limescale that had built up around the edges of the pipe. Good luck chiseling a lifetime's worth of old paint away from these walls.

2. To work continuously or freely with or as if with a chisel. Janet is never so happy as when she's chiseling away at a new sculpture. We'll need to get these barnacles off. Here, take this hammer and screwdriver and start chiseling away. He's been chiseling away at that block for weeks? And it still doesn't look like any discernable thing? Yikes.

3. To erode or diminish (something) incrementally but continuously. The underdog team fell behind early on, but they've been chiseling away at their opponents' lead throughout the second half. His sarcastic remarks have really chiseled away my self-confidence over the years. Sadly, all of the recent issues with our car have chiseled away at our home renovation budget.

4. To make continuous incremental progress (on something). A: "How's the novel coming?" B: "Oh, I'm still chiseling away at it. I'm hoping to be done by the end of the year." Try not to get too overwhelmed about cleaning the house and just chisel away at it one room at a time. Whew! I had to chisel away at it for a week, but I finally cleared out all those unread emails!