IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishnip something in the bud
Meaning: To stop something before it becomes big or involved; to stop something before it gets much of a start.
Example: “The teacher nipped the argument in the bud.”
Equivalents in other languages
Dutch: in de kiem smoren Literally: To smother in the germ
French: Tuer dans l'œuf Literally: To kill in the egg
Origin: Gardeners pinch off (nip) a bud to stop it from flowering or growing. The figurative sense of stopping something before it develops is recorded from the 16th century, first as "nip in the bloom" in Henry Chettle's 1595 romance Piers Plainnes Seaven Yeres Prentiship. The bud version appears in Beaumont and Fletcher's comedy The Woman Hater (1607), of stopping a passion before it grows.
More English idioms
- not worth the paper it's printed on Worthless.
- odd man out The person who is left out; the person who doesn't fit in.
- odds and ends Small items that are left over, don't match, or are missing a mate.
- off one's rocker Out of one's mind; slightly crazy.
- off the beaten path Off the road or way that is most often chosen by other people.
- off the cuff Without much advance preparation; spontaneously.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Eres un sol You're a lovely, warm-hearted person.
- Eres más bueno que el pan You are a genuinely good, kind soul.
- Sei in gamba You're sharp, capable, and on the ball.
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