Acting on "V away at n" construction

Form

NP
Agent
Verb
away
at
Patient
NP

Examples

Meaning

An Agent acts in some way on a Patient, either repeatedly or over a long period of time.

Roles

Agent
The person who acts on the Patient.
Patient
What the Agent acts on.

Frames

Description

This construction can be seen as a variant of the "Acting on V at" construction, from which it inherits parts of its form. It is used in similar ways and at the highest level can be seen to have a very similar meaning, except than it implies a repetition or duration that uses of the "Acting on V at" construction do not necessarily have. However, it is more restricted in its distribution than the "Acting on V at" construction.

Inherits from

Sub-constructions

I'm toiling away at an MBA.
Ancient Egyptians used to hack away at their beards with bronze knives.
We can only chip away at attitudes bit by bit.
I munched away at my apple.
The acid began to eat away at the edge of her tunic.

Phraseological constructions