creaming off

Verb

cream off (third-person singular simple present creams off, present participle creaming off, simple past and past participle creamed off)

1. To extract the cream or creamy part from something.
2. To separate (the best part of something from the regular part).
   • Manuel points out that the real cost of corruption is not what is actually embezzled or creamed off the top: The best thing these people could do is just take from the public treasury directly, because that would be much less expensive.2020, Cristina Flesher Fominaya, Democracy Reloaded, page 178
3. To use a cream (cold cream) to remove something (usually makeup, from one's face).
4. (figuratively) To earn, or embezzle, a percentage of a profit.