Monday, August 08, 2005
niptalk
lately, i have heard many a person say, "we must nip it in the butt." now, i don't consider myself a stickler for idiomatic accuracy, and i have never had the audacity to correct anyone who has uttered said phrase, but it does strike me as a rather ridiculous error. the correct expression is "nip it in the bud," as in, nip it while it, whatever it may be, is in the early stages of growth, thus preventing further growth. now, based on the context in which i have heard the aforementioned erroneous phrasing used, i presume that this is exactly the action that these butt-nippers intend to advocate: putting a stop to something before it develops into a serious problem. however, it seems to me that nipping something in the butt would tend to get it going, rather than putting a stop to it. these are my two cents, crebumble and trule.
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