by to carve – to cut wood / marble by removing little pieces
e.g. The sculptor carved a statue in wood.
More expressions with carve:
to carve out a career / a niche for yourself – to create a job / position for yourself
e.g. Harry carved out a career for himself as a specialist musical instrument maker for experimental rock bands.
Note: in British English, a “carve up” is a slang expression for a rigged contest. i.e. a competition where the winner has already been decided
e.g. The competition for Best Singer at the XXIII International Music Festival was a total carve up! It was obvious the judges would choose RnB singer Vanessa DeBrey because they’re all friends of hers.