縮める

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 縮める(ちぢめる) is a transitive verb meaning to reduce length or time, or to draw in part of the body.
• Basic usage: It is used both for shortening travel time and for tucking in one's neck against the cold.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• What becomes shorter
  • 時間を縮める describes reducing the time, while 時間が縮まる describes the time becoming shorter.
• Inflection
  • In 首を縮めて, 縮めて connects the action to what follows.