Nip it in the Bud Idiom Meaning, Origin & History | Superduper English Idioms

0:00 - How to Say, “Nip it in the bud.” 0:42 - Examples of “Nip it in the bud.” 1:35 - Meaning of “Nip it in the bud.” 1:54 - Origin of “Nip it in the bud.” 4:01 - More Examples of “Nip it in the bud.” 4:49 - Conclusion “Nip it in the bud.” If someone says to “nip it in the bud”, they mean to stop, suppress, subdue, stamp out something early on or before it starts. These days, “nip it in the bud” is usually used to mean a bad, negative, unwanted thing must be stopped; but you might hear someone say not to nip something in the bud, do not stop a good, positive, wanted thing. “Using their phones at bedtime negatively affects their sleep. Let’s not let it become a habit for the kids, we should nip it in the bud!” you and your wife might be discussing. Maybe your new husband is used to his mom picking up after him and your friend advises, “Don’t let him act like a child by cleaning up after him, nip it in the bud!” “Kids are naturally curious, don’t nip that curiosity in the bud by demanding that they keep clean all the time,” an early childhood education specialist might be advising parents. As you can see, “nipping something in the bud”, means to squash, crush, repress, put down something, usually prior to it starting or during the initial stages. The origin of the idiom, “nip it in the bud”, is horticultural in nature; in early spring, a gardener would nip, pinch, squeeze off flower or leaf buds that were unwanted… … this would cause the plant to redirect its energy toward growing the buds that were not nipped, allowing the gardener to decide how or where the plant grew. This metaphorical idiom has been in use since at least the 1600s and has proven to be quite popular through the centuries, just as gardening continues to be a popular hobby. Psychologically speaking, it is easiest to nip a bad habit in the bud, to stop it before it even starts or to cease as quickly as possible… … because once something gets going, it becomes progressively harder and harder to quit or stop. If you want to get to bed in half an hour, for example, definitely do not pick up your phone and start scrolling on social media! At the same time, it is also easiest to extinguish, smother, terminate a good thing in the early stages; such as a child’s creativity, curiosity, love of learning. Thus, we must consciously decide what things in life we want to “nip in the bud” and what things we want to allow to bloom. “Yeah, the kids are being extremely noisy, but they’re learning about music! Let’s not nip it in the bud,” you might be yelling to your partner. Perhaps you live on a street that a lot of people speed down, “The city is going to install speed bumps, which should nip the problem in the bud.” “Homelessness is a big problem facing our city, we need to nip it in the bud by allocating a bigger portion of our budget toward social programs,” a candidate running for mayor might be giving a speech. So, the next time you encounter an undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome situation, be sure to take action to stop it, cause it to cease, “nip it in the bud”... … or if it’s desirable, wanted, welcome, be careful not to “nip it in the bud”! #superduperenglishidioms #englishidioms #idioms #proverbs References: http://www.word-detective.com/2010/03/nip-it-in-the-bud/

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