nip in the bud

English

WOTD – 18 May 2009

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɪp.ɪn.ðəˈbʌd/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (AU):

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Verb

nip (something) in the bud

1. To remove a bud from a plant to prevent flower and fruit from forming.
2. (idiomatic) To stop something at an early stage.

   If you see a bad habit begin to develop, try to nip it in the bud so that it does not become ingrained. Issues are easier to sort out the earlier they are addressed.

Translations

To remove a bud from a plant

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: knipe

• Spanish: descogollar (es)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

(idiom) to prevent at an early stage

• Armenian: (destroy as an embryo) ոչնչացնել սաղմի մեջ (očʻnčʻacʻnel saġmi meǰ), (strangle in the den) բնում խեղդել (hy) (bnum xeġdel)
• Bulgarian: убивам в зародиш (ubivam v zarodiš)
• Czech: udusit v zárodku
• Danish: tage i opløbet, kvæle i fødslen
• Dutch: In de kiem smoren
• Finnish: kitkeä (fi)
• French: étouffer dans l’œuf (fr), tuer dans l’œuf (fr)
• German: im Keim ersticken
• Hungarian: csírájában elfojt (hu)
• Irish: rud a mharú san ubh, rud a stopadh ina thús
• Italian: troncare sul nascere, stroncare sul nascere
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ta ved roten

• Persian: در نطفه خفه کردن (dar notfe xafe kardan)
• Polish: zniszczyć w zarodku
• Portuguese: cortar pela raiz
• Russian: пресе́чь в ко́рне (preséčʹ v kórne) (cut in the root), подави́ть в заро́дыше (podavítʹ v zaródyše) (to crush as an embryo)
• Scottish Gaelic: bac an tùs
• Spanish: cortar de raíz
• Swedish: kväva i sin linda
• Telugu: మొగ్గగానే తుంచు (moggagānē tuñcu)
• Turkish: yılanın başını küçükken ezmek