forbidden fruit
Alluring prohibited thing
Forbidden fruit is something desirable that's prohibited or off-limits.
The phrase comes from the biblical story of Eden, where eating from the tree of knowledge was the one thing God forbade Adam and Eve.
The allure of transgression often makes forbidden fruit more tempting: The affair had all the excitement of forbidden fruit.
The phrase implies that prohibition itself creates desire.
First created man
- EveGenesis matriarch
- Garden of EdenBiblical first home
- serpentCunning, limbless reptile
- GenesisFirst biblical book
paradise · apple · Old Testament · divine command · Eden · innocence lost · expulsion · nakedness
Attractive, tempting quality
- enticementSomething that attracts
- seductionEnticing someone romantically
- desireIntense wanting
- cravingPowerful urge to have
longing · lure · fascination · irresistible · tantalizing · appetite · yearning · siren call
Penalty for an offense
- banishmentForced removal from place
- guiltMoral self-reproach
- fallDescend under gravity
- judgmentReasoned decision-making capacity
price · cost · expulsion · loss of innocence · shame · mortality · suffering · regret
Prohibited by law
- off-limitsProhibited from access
- prohibitedOfficially not permitted
- bannedOfficially disallowed
- secretConcealed information
hidden · clandestine · unattainable · restricted · proscribed · untouchable · contraband · transgressive
Romantic entanglement outside commitment
- infidelityDisloyalty to a partner
- adulteryMarried person's sexual betrayal
- trystSecret romantic meeting
- secret loverConcealed romantic partner
liaison · cheating · paramour · extramarital · stolen kisses · rendezvous · passion · scandal
Adam
First created man
- EveGenesis matriarch
- Garden of EdenBiblical first home
- serpentCunning, limbless reptile
Genesis · paradise · apple · Old Testament · divine command · Eden · innocence lost · expulsion · nakedness · shame
allure
Attractive, tempting quality
- enticementSomething that attracts
- seductionEnticing someone romantically
- desireIntense wanting
craving · longing · lure · fascination · irresistible · tantalizing · appetite · yearning · siren call · bait
punishment
Penalty for an offense
- banishmentForced removal from place
- guiltMoral self-reproach
- fallDescend under gravity
judgment · price · cost · expulsion · loss of innocence · shame · mortality · suffering · regret · reckoning
illicit
Prohibited by law
- off-limitsProhibited from access
- prohibitedOfficially not permitted
- bannedOfficially disallowed
secret · hidden · clandestine · unattainable · restricted · proscribed · untouchable · contraband · transgressive · sacrilege
affair
Romantic entanglement outside commitment
- infidelityDisloyalty to a partner
- adulteryMarried person's sexual betrayal
- trystSecret romantic meeting
secret lover · liaison · cheating · paramour · extramarital · stolen kisses · rendezvous · passion · scandal · indiscretion
- Biblical ReferencesAdam and Eve, ark, Garden of Eden, Ten Commandments, burning bush
- Bible StoriesAdam and Eve, David and Goliath, Noah's Ark, Jonah and the whale, nativity
- Biblical ExpressionsGarden of Eden, David and Goliath, Good Samaritan, prodigal son, Tower of Babel
- Biblical imageryLamb of God, Good Shepherd, bread of life, light of the world, living water
- literary allusionsclassical references, Greek myths, Roman myths, biblical references, Eden
- food folkloreapple a day, watermelon seeds, bread crusts, magic beans, stone soup
forbidden fruitdaily bread
Essential means of living
low-hanging fruit · common goods · bread and butter · same old thing · nothing special
forbidden fruitmanna from heaven
Unexpected divine provision
tree of life · heavenly reward · bread of life · daily bread · divine grace
fruit, fruits, forbidden, fruitful, fruitless, forbidding, fruition, fruiting, fruitlessly