Apparently I have been saying it wrong for years 'Nip it in the butt' is not the right way to say it. Tonight was just another one of those time when I felt a little bit dumb.
Meaning
Put a stop to something while it is still in its early development.
Origin
This phrase derives from the de-budding of plants. The earlier form of the phrase was 'nip in the bloom' and this is cited in Henry Chettle's romance Piers Plainnes Seaven Yeres Prentiship, 1595