carve up

PHRASAL VERB

If you say that someone carves something up, you disapprove of the way they have divided it into small parts.

• He has set about carving up the company which Hammer created from almost nothing.
• They have begun carving the country up like a pie.

... Cobuild

carve someone or something up:

to damage someone or something by careless or purposeful cutting (of a person, can be figurative).

• Someone carved the tabletop up. Who did it and why?
• The boxer wanted to carve up his opponent.

carve something up:

to divide something up, perhaps carelessly.

• The peace treaty carved the former empire up into several countries.
• You can't just carve up one country and give the pieces away.

... http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/carve