Idiom medium 26 / 51
“nip it in the bud”
i · The common misuse One wrong form
ii · What it meansTwo lines, no filler
From gardening — nip a flower bud before it blooms to prevent growth. 'Nip in the butt' is an eggcorn with a different (and accidentally comic) image.
iii · Memory hookKeep this one
Bud = flower bud. Gardening metaphor, not a bite.