ENGLISH
REFERENCE

forbidden fruit

idiom
Meaning

Illicit pleasure.


Origin

disputed origin

With reference to Genesis 2:17: ‘But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’ (KJV)

Examples
SIMPLE

He knew the forbidden fruit was not for him.

CONTEXTUAL

She felt a thrill whenever she checked her ex's social media, treating the information like forbidden fruit.

COMPLEX

The young scholar found the restricted archives to be forbidden fruit, yet the temptation to uncover the hidden history proved impossible to resist.

Anchors to
Related idioms6entries
  1. 01

    bear fruit

    To produce good results; to yield benefits; to succeed.

  2. 02

    fruit of one's loins

    One's child or, collectively, one's children or descendants.

  3. 03

    fruit of the poisonous tree

    Evidence that has been obtained as the result of an illegal act on the part of law enforcement personnel (such as an unlawful warrantless search, or continued questioning of a witness who has invoked the right of counsel), and which is therefore excluded from being admitted as evidence in a trial.

  4. 04

    fruit of the union

    A child, especially from a marriage or similar union.

  5. 05

    fruit up

    To grope a young boy.

  6. 06

    low-hanging fruit

    Easily obtained gains; what can be obtained by readily available means.

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