🗓️ Idiom: Nip It in the Bud (v)
💬 Meaning
- To stop a problem early before it becomes serious.
- It means taking quick action to prevent something from getting worse.
🧠 Example Sentences
- If we nip the issue in the bud now, it won’t affect the final project.
- The manager noticed a drop in quality and decided to nip it in the bud.
- We should nip the communication gap in the bud before it leads to bigger problems.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from gardening — to “nip” (cut off) a bud before it grows into a full plant. In conversation, it means stopping a small issue before it grows out of control.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
The project was falling behind, so they decided to __________ before deadlines were missed.
Answer
nip it in the bud
2. Choose the correct meaning of “nip it in the bud”:
A) To delay a decision
B) To fix something after it becomes a big problem
C) To ignore an issue
D) To stop a problem early before it grows
Answer
D) To stop a problem early before it grows
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“They stopped the small issue before it got worse.” → Change the sentence using: nip it in the bud
Answer
They nipped it in the bud before it got worse.