Meaning
To stop or suppress something at an early stage, before it can develop or do harm, the way a gardener pinches off a bud to stop it flowering. Applied to problems, plots, rumours, disputes, crises and feelings ('nip the rumour in the bud'). Neutral register; a workhorse of journalism and business writing about early intervention. Regional use: General English.
Origin
Straightforwardly horticultural: removing a bud from a plant prevents it from flowering or fruiting, which supplies the metaphor of checking growth before it takes hold. The Phrase Finder records an earlier form, 'nip in the bloom', in Henry Chettle's 1595 romance Piers Plainnes Seaven Yeres Prentiship ('nip thy affections in the bloome'), with the now-standard 'bud' wording appearing by 1607 in Beaumont and Fletcher's comedy Woman Hater ('nip a passion even in the bud'). Grammarist confirms the gardening reading and the 1595 citation. The modern misspelling 'nip it in the butt' is a common eggcorn that dictionaries and usage guides treat simply as an error.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- nip it in the butt (eggcorn)
- nip something in the bud
- nipped in the bud
Usage Examples
- The city nipped the outbreak in the bud by closing the pools within a week.
- She nipped his crush in the bud by mentioning her fiancé in the first five minutes.
- Union anger was nipped in the bud by an unexpected pay offer.