Nip It In The Bud
During the Bay Area
Senior Advocates annual breakfast/meeting yesterday, someone asked where the
expression “nip it in the bud”
came from.
To nip something in the
bud means to stop it during an early stage of its development, before it can
mature. Growers frequently pinch or snip off new buds on plants and trees to
stop them from sucking up nutrients, thus allowing the remaining buds to grow
larger. The phrase first appeared in print in the late 16th century.
As a noun, there are six
separate words spelled n-i-p; as a verb, there are two.
- a hill or a crag
- a shortened form of catnip
- a sharp remark; a sharp bite; pungent
flavor; the crushing effect of ice on the sides of a vessel; a pickpocket;
a miser; pincers; a small portion
- a small quantity of liquor
- an offensive term for a Japanese
- a shortened form of nipple
- to pinch, bite, or squeeze; to seal a glass
tube by pressing together the heated end of the neck; to compress sharply;
to rebuke; to secure a rope by twisting it around something; to crush a
hull with ice floes; to cut close; to extinguish a cigarette by pinching
off the lit end; to arrest someone; to steal; to move rapidly; to defeat
by a narrow margin; to cause pain in freezing temperatures; to check the
growth of a plant
And remember: there is no nip it in the butt unless you're talking about your dog.
Available from McFarland & Co.: Word Parts
Dictionary, 2nd edition
Now available as an ebook
Now available as an ebook
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