whittling

Noun

 * 1)  A chip or shaving whittled from some larger substance.
 * 2) The art of carving shapes out of raw wood using a knife.
 * 3) A process of repeatedly shaving slivers from a piece of wood (non-artistic).
 * 4)  The  of something, especially at the expense of some effort.
 * 1)  The  of something, especially at the expense of some effort.