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forbidden fruit

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forbidden fruit

–noun
1. the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, tasted by Adam and Eve against God's prohibition. Gen. 2:17; 3:3.
2. any unlawful pleasure, esp. illicit sexual indulgence.
3. pomelo (def. 1).
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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forbidden fruit  
n.  An indulgence or a pleasure that is illegal or is believed to be immoral.

[From the story of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, forbidden to Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:16-3:19.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

forbidden fruit

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.

Note: “Forbidden fruit” is used commonly to refer to anything that is tempting but potentially dangerous. It is often associated with sexuality.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

forbidden fruit

Unlawful pleasure or enjoyment; illicit love. For example, After Mary moved in with John, Tom began courting herforbidden 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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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