BBC Learning English
The English We Speak
5

th

July 2011

To nip something in the bud

The English We Speak

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011

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bbclearningenglish.com

Helen:

Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Helen.

William:

Hi, I'm William. Today Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is opening.

Music, birdsong

Helen:

Oh, Hampton Court Palace Flower Show – the world's largest flower show!
I've seen it on the news before. If only I had a garden!

William:

Ah yes, you live in an apartment, don't you Helen?

Helen:

Yeah. So William, let me guess, today we are going to do a phrase relating to
flowers and gardening?

William:

Exactly.

Helen:

So...? What's the phrase?

William:

Er... Well, how about... how about... er. No, it's gone. It's no good. I can't
think of a phrase right now.

Helen:

Oh well. Let's just have a chat instead. I'm tired of learning new phrases
anyway.

William:

OK. Well, how are you Helen? How are the kids?

Helen:

Oh they are both really well. My little boy eats too much chocolate though!

William:

Oh really? Well, you want to nip that in the bud.

Helen:

Eh? Nip it in the bud?

William:

Nip it in the bud. If you nip something in the bud, you stop it before it
becomes a problem. Listen to this example from a business context:

Example

Man:

The last few deliveries we've had from this company have all had broken
parts in them.

The English We Speak

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011

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bbclearningenglish.com

Woman:

Well, we need to nip that in the bud. Tell them that unless their service
improves, we're going to look for another supplier.

Helen:

So in that example, the man was complaining about poor service from a
supplier. The woman wanted to nip it in the bud.

William:

That's right. She wanted to take steps to improve the service before it got
even worse.

Helen:

So where does this phrase come from William – to nip something in the bud?

Birdsong and music

William:

Well, it comes from gardening, actually. A bud is the part of a plant that
becomes a flower, a leaf or stem. If you nip something in the bud, you cut the
bud off the plant before it has time to grow.

Helen:

Oh. That's not very nice.

William:

Well, gardening is a tough game, Helen. You have to nip things in the bud
sometimes. You also have to kill slugs and snails.

Helen:

Eugh! I'm glad I don't have a garden.

William:

Bye!

Helen:

Bye!