said
Here said is the past tense of the irregular verb say. Follow the link to listen to some examples.
more information: say
take for granted
not value something because it is always there
Example: These days we take electricity for granted.
come on the air
To come on the air is to talk on radio.
chipping away at
To chip away at something is to gradually reduce its strength or size by repeated effort.
Example: By chipping away at the job every day I'll eventually get it finished.