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.BBC Learning EnglishThe English We Speak5th July 2011To nip something in the budHelen: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, birdsongHelen: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:ExampleMan:The last few deliveries we've had from this company have all had broken parts in them.The English We Speak© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011Page 1 of 2bbclearningenglish.comWoman: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 musicWilliam: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!The English We Speak© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011Page 2 of 2bbclearningenglish.com
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