hollow out

The war had hollowed out his government and the army, and forced him to pawn whatever remained to Iran and Russia, but Assad nevertheless believed he was secure enough to wait out his opponents.

"Tourism is a vital part of our local economy, but if we let it go too far in that direction, we end up with our communities being hollowed out," he says.

The soft bun is hollowed out and warmed after ordering, making it a “French dog,” as the locals call it.

A squeeze on funding over many years had made money tight – the forces “hollowed out”, according to Wallace.

In Belgium, they are hollowed out for boat races, and in Ludwigsburg, Germany, thousands of multi-coloured pumpkins are used to make seasonal sculpture parks.