"whittle down to size" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "whittles down to size",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whittling down to size",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whittled down to size",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whittled down to size",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "whittle down to size (third-person singular simple present whittles down to size, present participle whittling down to size, simple past and past participle whittled down to size)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "cut down to size"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1999, Matt Braun, El Paso, page 14",
          "text": "If he starts playing the big, tough hombre on the southside, those boys are just liable to whittle him down to size.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Sonny Collins, Anasazi Dreams: In Search of Coyote People, page 75",
          "text": "She seldom suffered fools. With one withering glance, she could whittle my father, who was a big man, down to size.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, Peggy Nicholson, The Baby Bargain",
          "text": "And also, they're scared that the girls are going to realize what a hottie you are (which they will, if you ever talk to 'em), so they're trying to whittle you down to size before you steal all the women.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of cut down to size"
      ],
      "id": "en-whittle_down_to_size-en-verb-B361JkSE",
      "links": [
        [
          "cut down to size",
          "cut down to size#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "whittle down to size"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "whittles down to size",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whittling down to size",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whittled down to size",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whittled down to size",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "whittle down to size (third-person singular simple present whittles down to size, present participle whittling down to size, simple past and past participle whittled down to size)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "cut down to size"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1999, Matt Braun, El Paso, page 14",
          "text": "If he starts playing the big, tough hombre on the southside, those boys are just liable to whittle him down to size.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Sonny Collins, Anasazi Dreams: In Search of Coyote People, page 75",
          "text": "She seldom suffered fools. With one withering glance, she could whittle my father, who was a big man, down to size.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, Peggy Nicholson, The Baby Bargain",
          "text": "And also, they're scared that the girls are going to realize what a hottie you are (which they will, if you ever talk to 'em), so they're trying to whittle you down to size before you steal all the women.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of cut down to size"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "cut down to size",
          "cut down to size#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "whittle down to size"
}