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cull the herd
1. Literally, to separate or remove (and usually kill) inferior animals out of a herd so as to reduce numbers or remove undesirable traits from the group as a whole. We had to quickly cull the herd when it came to light that some cows might be carrying an infectious disease.
2. By extension, to separate or remove people from a larger group. With so many people applying for a limited number of jobs, employers have had to cull the herd by introducing much stricter criteria and a more elaborate application for hiring. Universities have long used standardized test results as a means of culling the herd of applicants they receive each year.
cull (someone or something) out of (something)
To remove someone or something from a group. We were so determined to win the science bowl that we culled everyone who seemed susceptible to stage fright out of the team.
cull someone or something out of somethingand cull someone or something out
to eliminate someone or something from a group. We will cull the older pigeons out from the flock. They culled out the slower runners from the team.
n. a socially unacceptable person. This place is so filled with culls! Let’s split.