pick away

pick away

To remove something by picking it, usually with one's fingers. A noun or pronoun can be used between "pick" and "away." The child sat picking raisins away from her cookie. I had to pick away the cat hair from my suit before the interview.

See also: away, pick

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

pick something away

to pull or pinch something loose from something. Mary picked the meat away from the bones. He picked away the burrs.

See also: away, pick

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.