I.away [美 əˈweɪ, 英 əˈweɪ]副away often appears as the second element of certain verb structures in English (back away, do away with, slip away, etc.). For translations, see the relevant verb entry (back, do, slip, etc.).
District officials were able to whittle away at that list over the summer, as others retired or quit, and financial projections at some schools changed.
The songwriting process is sort of like automatic writing for us; make up some gibberish to go with a tune and then whittle away at it until meaning emerges.