Can I say "I tried to chip away at our meetings" if I mean to say "I try to meet with somebody more rarely so that we gradually stop meeting at all"?
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1If I heard "chip away at our meetings", I think I'd interpret that as making the meetings shorter than slowing them to a stop. – KillingTime Jan 24 at 9:28
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If we were meeting often I would have expected the meaning you proposed, but it is ambiguous. – Peter Jan 24 at 10:13
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You could say *"I tried to chip away at the number/frequency of our meetings" but this does not mean that the meetings will stop. – Greybeard Jan 24 at 11:08
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I wrote what I wanted to say, so I guess, this phrase won't fit the given context. I should just put it normally like "I tried to meet with him/her more rarely to finally stop seeing this person" – Сергей Полянский Jan 24 at 12:19
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2Does this answer your question? What's the difference between chip away and chip away AT something? – Edwin Ashworth Jan 24 at 16:23
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Chip away at:
If you chip away at something such as an idea, a feeling, or a system, you gradually make it weaker or less likely to succeed by repeated efforts.
So, apparently, you are trying to make the meeting unsuccessful.
(Collins Dictionary)
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1Or you are trying to make the organiser unsuccessful in organising so many long meetings. – Peter Jan 24 at 10:48
