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nip sth in the bud

Definition

to stop something before it has an opportunity to become established: Many serious illnesses can be nipped in the bud if they are detected early enough. It's important to nip this kind of bullying in the bud.Preventing and impedingLimiting and restricting
(Definition of nip sth in the bud from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)