To whittle down a group or thing means to gradually make it smaller.
He had whittled eight interviewees down to two...
The president has agreed to whittle down his proposal.
PHRASAL VERB : V n P to/from num / n , V P n (not pron) , also V n P
To whittle down a group or thing means to gradually make it smaller.
He had whittled eight interviewees down to two...
The president has agreed to whittle down his proposal.
PHRASAL VERB : V n P to/from num / n , V P n (not pron) , also V n P
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary. Английский словарь Коллинз COBUILD для изучающих язык на продвинутом уровне. 2006