Botanical idioms

A list of botanical idioms.

Branch

Olive branch

Bud

A budding ____

Nip something in the bud

To nip something in the bud was to put a stop to it.

The EMH once noted that he nipped an alien retrovirus in the bud. (VOY: "Latent Image")

Bush

Beat around the bush

Flower

Achieve its fullest flower

Don't send me flowers

Flower of Humanity

The flower of Humanity referred to behaviour that demonstrated human nature well.

Spock referred to the humans from the parallel universe as the flower of Humanity due to them being more emotive, which was a trait he associated with humans, than his own social circle. (TOS: "Mirror, Mirror")

Flowers of one's past

Rose

No bed of (Felaran) rose petals

Meant something was not easy. [In 2372, [Neelix]] claimed his life prior to USS Voyager was no bed of Felaran rose petals. (VOY: "Parturition")

Roses in one's cheeks

If someone had roses in their cheeks, they had red cheeks.

The song "Kathleen" had the lyric "The roses all have left your cheeks". (TOS: "The Naked Time")

Smelling like a rose

To smell like a rose was to smell good.

When the EMH commented that Harry Kim had body odour, and Kim tried to excuse it by saying that he had had a "busy day", the EMH commented that Seven had also had one, but smelled "as fresh as the proverbial rose." (VOY: "Body and Soul")

The lily and the rose are staging a competition in your face

Time to smell the roses

Taking time to smell the roses meant spending time enjoying life.

In 2374, the EMH Mark II contemplated his possible end, noting that he took no time to smell the roses. VOY: "Message in a Bottle")

The EMH once noted that he admired Arakis Prime's scenery to smell the roses. (VOY: "One Small Step")

Thistle head

A thistle head was a foolish person.

Kirk called Scott a "stiff necked thistle head" for confronting Apollo at the risk of his own life. (TOS: "Who Mourns for Adonais?")

Root

Have its roots in/deeply rooted in something

One's (family) roots

Pioneer roots

Put down roots

Root cause

Root for something

Root of the matter

Take root

Seed

Old chestnut

An old chestnut was something that was old and well-known.

The EMH once referred to the song "Oh My Darling, Clementine" as an "old chestnut". (VOY: "Equinox")

Sow/plant seed(s) of something

To sow seeds of or plant seeds of something was to invoke the thing stated.

When Garak insulted the Romulans' pointy ears, Tain noted that if he did not defend the Romulans, it could plant a seed of discord between them. (DS9: "Improbable Cause")

Thorn

Thorn in someone's side

To be a thorn in someone's side meant to be an annoyance to them.

Kor described Worf as a thorn in Gowron's side. (DS9: "The Sword of Kahless")

Tree

Can't see the forest for the trees

Referred to one was so caught up in small details that they were not able to see the bigger picture.

In 2373, Miles O'Brien felt he hadn't been able to see the forest for the trees when it was Rom who explained to him that the modifications that he had been making to equipment on Deep Space 9 on the orders of a Pah-wraith that had possessed his wife were designed to turn the station into a chroniton array aimed at the Bajoran wormhole, one which could kill the Prophets. (DS9: "The Assignment")

Go climb a tree

Go climb a tree meant "go away and leave me alone".

When Kor questioned James T. Kirk about Starfleet's dispersal, Kirk told the Klingon to go climb a tree. (TOS: "Errand of Mercy")

Out of the woods

See the forest for the trees