no-non.adj.
/ˈnəʊnəʊ/, U.S. /ˈnoʊˈnoʊ/ colloquial (originally U.S.).
A. n.
Something which is forbidden, unwise, impossible, or unacceptable; a failure, a hopeless case. Usually with indefinite article.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > prohibition > [noun] > that which is prohibited
no-no1942
1942 L. V. Berrey & M. Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §310/1 No-no,..something that should not be done.
1968 Washington Post 30 Sept. a20/2 What she was doing was a no-no, the protectors of our health announced... She must stop baking things for sale.
1972 Observer 17 Sept. 34/8 Nationwide..has my strict instructions never to touch the subject of rock music again: its piece on Bob Dylan was a total no-no.
1991 D. Anderson In Corner 59 Putting professional input into amateurs is a no-no.
B. adj.
Forbidden, unacceptable; off-limits, out of bounds.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > prohibition > [adjective] > prohibited
forbiddenc1200
defendedc1405
prohibit?a1475
vetite?a1500
prohibited?1532
disallowed1539
forbid1599
inhibiteda1616
verboten1866
no-no1972
society > authority > subjection > prohibition > [adjective] > prohibited (of an area)
no entry1968
no go1969
no-no1972
1972 C. James in Observer 3 Sept. 31/1 Your paradigm no-no [sports] commentary can't be made up of fluffs alone.
1978 Detroit Free Press 5 Mar. a1/1 A separate case..concluded that speed-trap detectors are no-no.
1995 Muzik July 52/1 Drugs and liquor—the traditional suppressants of the ghetto—were strictly no-no.
2001 Hull Daily Mail (Electronic ed.) 7 Dec. I remember it being a real no-no street, but now there are nice pubs, a smart coffee house, and a couple of restaurants down there.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.adj.1942