eat away


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eat away

To erode or wear something away. Don't use that harsh cleaner—it will eat away at a soft metal like this.
See also: away, eat

eat something away

to erode something; to consume something bit by bit. The acid ate the finish away. It ate away the finish.
See also: away, eat
References in periodicals archive ?
During their brief but fiery lives, these heavyweights spew out intense ultraviolet radiation and fierce winds that eat away at the mother cloud and expose newborns that had been swaddled inside.
Bullies of the universe: massive stars rob their smaller neighbors
As chlorofiuorocarbons and other chemical pollutants eat away the stratospheric ozone layer, scientists have been expecting to see a strengthening in the intensity of UV rays reaching Earth's surface.
UV rays strengthening in North America
The powder proved so hard that it began to eat away at the mortar and pestle.
Liquid gem: a new carbon polymer yields a diamond-like product
The low elevations may have allowed relatively shallow oceans to eat away at the bases of these volcanoes.
Going with the flow
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