play woman and dog illustration

'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'?

We're gonna stop you right there


Is it 'nip it in the butt' or 'nip it in the bud'? Senior Editor Emily Brewster explains.

Transcript

Sometimes a word that sounds like the right word and feels like the right word isn't actually the right word. It's an eggcorn. You don't nip something in the butt if you want to stop it before it gets worse, though, maybe that would work in some cases. No, you nip it in the bud. You figuratively pinch off the bud before it opens into a leaf or flower.

Up next

play woman and dog illustration
'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'?

 

We're gonna stop you right there

play video ending a sentence with a preposition
Ending a Sentence with a Preposition

 

An old-fashioned rule we can no longer put up with.

play peter-sokolowski-indict-graphic
Video: Why Is There a 'C' in 'Indict'?

 

And who put it there, anyway?

play fun funner funnest
Fun, Funner, Funnest

 

Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'

play hanger-hangar-illustrations
Is It 'Hanger' or 'Hangar'?

 

How to remember which is which