plane, sharpen, whittle, pare, shave
削 centers on removing thin layers from a surface: planing wood, sharpening a pencil, whittling, paring, or shaving off material.
削 combines 刂 (knife) with 肖, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of smallness or reduction, together suggesting cutting away thin layers.
A knife 刂 beside 肖 (which resembles a small moon 月 with a little extra on top) is used to shave off thin slices, like planing wood or sharpening a pencil.
For サク, imagine using a knife to whittle a sack of wood shavings: sack -> サク, and the knife pares the wood down.
deletion; elimination; erasure; striking out
to shave (wood, leather, etc.); to sharpen (e.g. pencil); to plane; to whittle; to pare; to scrape off; to erode
cut; reduction; curtailment
digging out; excavation
to chip (off); to shave off; to slice off; to cut off
correction; looking over; touching up
cutting (e.g. metal)
to be shaved or planed
grinding
rough-hewn; incomplete; unrefined; still in the process of being formed
excavation; cutting; digging
to shave off; to scrape off
flaked bonito
to split; to be split; to splinter; to chip; to be sliced (off); to be scraped (off)
to compete ruthlessly; to sharpen swords
cost reduction; cost saving
tunnel boring machine; TBM
file deletion
to curtail a budget
budget cut