chisel

/ˈtʃɪzəl/

/ˈtʃɪzəl/

Other forms: chiselled; chiseled; chisels; chiselling; chiseling

When you carve a statue from a block of marble, you use a tool called a chisel to cut out the shape. Chisel is the name of the tool and also the name of the action.

A chisel has a flat, sharp end. To carve using a chisel, you hit the back of it with a hammer or another blunt instrument. Chisel can also mean "to cheat." If someone chisels you out of your allowance, they shaved it away from you bit by bit.

Definitions of chisel

1. noun

   an edge tool with a flat steel blade with a cutting edge
   types:

   burin

   a chisel of tempered steel with a sharp point; used for engraving

   cold chisel, set chisel

   narrow chisel made of steel; used to cut stone or bricks

   drove, drove chisel

   a stonemason's chisel with a broad edge for dressing stone

   firmer chisel

   a chisel with a thin blade for woodworking

   ripping chisel

   a long chisel with a slightly bent cutting end; used for heavy prying or cleaning mortises

   wood chisel

   a chisel for working wood; it is either struck with a mallet or pushed by hand

   type of:

   edge tool

   any cutting tool with a sharp cutting edge (as a chisel or knife or plane or gouge)
2. verb

   carve with a chisel
   “chisel the marble”

   type of:

   carve, chip at

   engrave or cut by chipping away at a surface
3. verb

   engage in deceitful behavior; practice trickery or fraud
   “Who's chiseling on the side?”

   synonyms: cheat

   types:

   job

   profit privately from public office and official business

   shark

   play the shark; act with trickery

   rig, set up

   arrange the outcome of by means of deceit

   cozen

   act with artful deceit

   crib

   use a crib, as in an exam

   cook, fake, falsify, fudge, manipulate, misrepresent, wangle

   tamper, with the purpose of deception

   juggle

   manipulate by or as if by moving around components

   type of:

   cozen, deceive, delude, lead on

   be false to; be dishonest with
4. verb

   deprive somebody of something by deceit
   “They chiseled me out of my money”

   synonyms: cheat, rip off

   types:

   gazump

   raise the price of something after agreeing on a lower price

   cozen

   cheat or trick

   fleece, gazump, hook, overcharge, pluck, plume, rob, soak, surcharge

   rip off; ask an unreasonable price

   bunco, con, defraud, diddle, gip, goldbrick, hornswoggle, mulct, nobble, rook, scam, short-change, shortchange, swindle, victimize

   (offensive) deprive of by deceit

   bilk

   cheat somebody out of what is due, especially money

   beat, bunk

   avoid paying

   whipsaw

   victimize, especially in gambling or negotiations

   welch, welsh

   cheat by avoiding payment of a gambling debt

   beguile, hoodwink, juggle

   influence by slyness

   extort, gouge, rack, squeeze, wring

   obtain by coercion or intimidation

   short, short-change, shortchange

   cheat out of by giving back less money than is due to someone who has overpaid

   type of:

   victimise, victimize

   make a victim of