To nip in the bud

To nip in the bud
Nip Nip, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Nipped}, less properly {Nipt}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Nipping}.] [OE. nipen; cf. D. niipen to pinch, also knippen to nip, clip, pinch, snap, knijpen to pinch, LG. knipen, G. kneipen, kneifen, to pinch, cut off, nip, Lith. knebti.] 1. To catch and inclose or compress tightly between two surfaces, or points which are brought together or closed; to pinch; to close in upon. [1913 Webster]

May this hard earth cleave to the Nadir hell, Down, down, and close again, and nip me flat, If I be such a traitress. --Tennyson. [1913 Webster]

2. To remove by pinching, biting, or cutting with two meeting edges of anything; to clip. [1913 Webster]

The small shoots . . . must be nipped off. --Mortimer. [1913 Webster]

3. Hence: To blast, as by frost; to check the growth or vigor of; to destroy. [1913 Webster]

4. To vex or pain, as by nipping; hence, to taunt. [1913 Webster]

And sharp remorse his heart did prick and nip. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

{To nip in the bud}, to cut off at the very commencement of growth; to kill in the incipient stage. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • nip in the bud — To destroy or put a stop to (something) at its very beginning • • • Main Entry: ↑bud nip in the bud see under ↑bud1 • • • Main Entry: ↑nip * * * nip (something) in the bud see ↑nip …   Useful english dictionary

  • nip in the bud — ► nip in the bud suppress or destroy at an early stage. Main Entry: ↑nip …   English terms dictionary

  • nip in the bud — index deter Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • nip in the bud — nip (something) in the bud to prevent a small problem from getting worse by stopping it soon after it starts. The strike was nipped in the bud by some clever negotiation …   New idioms dictionary

  • nip in the bud — verb /ˈnɪp.ɪn.ðəˈbʌd/ a) To remove a bud from a plant to prevent flower and fruit from forming. 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 …   Wiktionary

  • nip in the bud —    If you nip a problem or an unacceptable situation in the bud, you stop it at an early stage, before it develops or becomes worse.     He wanted to be a clown, but his parents soon nipped that idea in the bud …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • nip in the bud — prevent at the start They found out about the computer problem but were able to nip the problem in the bud …   Idioms and examples

  • nip in the bud — {v. phr.} To check at the outset; prevent at the start; block or destroy in the beginning. * /The police nipped the plot in the bud./ * /The teacher nipped the disorder in the bud./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • nip in the bud — {v. phr.} To check at the outset; prevent at the start; block or destroy in the beginning. * /The police nipped the plot in the bud./ * /The teacher nipped the disorder in the bud./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • nip\ in\ the\ bud — v. phr. To check at the outset; prevent at the start; block or destroy in the beginning. The police nipped the plot in the bud. The teacher nipped the disorder in the bud …   Словарь американских идиом

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