forbidden fruit

American  

[fer-bid-n froot, fawr-bid-n] / fərˈbɪd n ˈfrut, fɔrˈbɪd n /

noun

1. (in the Bible) the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, tasted by Adam and Eve against God's prohibition.

2. any unlawful pleasure, especially illicit sexual indulgence.

3. pomelo.

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forbidden fruit British  

noun

1. any pleasure or enjoyment regarded as illicit, esp sexual indulgence

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forbidden fruit Cultural  

1. The fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, often pictured as an apple, which God forbade Adam and Eve to eat. Their disobedience brought about the Fall of Man.

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forbidden fruit Idioms  

1. Unlawful pleasure or enjoyment; illicit love. For example, After Mary moved in with John, Tom began courting her—forbidden fruit is sweet, I guess, or Smoking behind the woodshed, that's a case of forbidden fruit. This expression alludes to Adam and Eve's violation of God's commandment not to touch fruit from the tree of knowledge, which resulted in their expulsion from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6). In the form forbidden fruit is sweet it appeared in numerous early English proverb collections.

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“Forbidden fruit” is used commonly to refer to anything that is tempting but potentially dangerous. It is often associated with sexuality.

Etymology

Origin of forbidden fruit

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

Forbidden fruit grows everywhere: Christina Rossetti’s “bloom-down-cheek’d peaches” in Goblin Market tempt the buyer to touch as well as taste.

From The Guardian • May 22, 2020

Forbidden fruit or not, the Japanese look in motorbikes is a hot new trend in U.S. transportation.

From Time Magazine Archive

Forbidden fruit a flavor has   That lawful orchards mocks; How luscious lies the pea within   The pod that Duty locks!

From Poems by Emily Dickinson, Third Series by Todd, Mabel Loomis

Forbidden fruit is not bad fruit, it is fruit that belongs to some one else, or to us at some future time.

From What and Where is God? A Human Answer to the Deep Religious Cry of the Modern Soul by Swain, Richard la Rue

Forbidden fruit is always the sweetest, and Jack felt that the fruit was forbidden here.

From Only One Love, or Who Was the Heir by Garvice, Charles