Ma'anar ƙamus na kalmar fi'ili "chip away" shine a sami ci gaba ko cim ma wani abu a hankali, yawanci ta yin aiki tuƙuru a kai ko kuma ci gaba da shawo kan cikas. Hakanan yana iya komawa ga tsarin rugujewa ko rage wani abu a hankali ta hanyar cire kananan guda daga cikinsa. Alal misali: "Ta shafe watanni tana yin aikin wannan aikin, kuma a ƙarshe tana samun ci gaba na gaske." away at the rock and created a small stream.""If we keep chipping away at the problem, we might be able to find a solution later."