no-no

• no no - often found in texts without the hyphen.

• Rhymes: -əʊnəʊ

• Audio (US):

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no-no (plural no-nos or no-noes)

1. (colloquial, often childish) Something that is forbidden, prohibited, discouraged or taboo.

   Smoking indoors is becoming a real no-no these days, in many places.

   • 1973, Franking Privilege for Members of Congress: Public Law 93-191 (Effective December 18, 1973): A Compilation of Legislative History, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, page 63:

     Mr. UDALL. Madam Chairman, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Bingham), is wrong in his supposition that the use of a picture is to be prohibited on a newsletter. Let me make some legislative history. The masthead or the heading of a newsletter with a picture of the Member is intended to be approved. As a matter of fact, in this language we turned it around. These no-noes are taken out of the old Post Office Manual, where they had over the years compiled a list of things one could or could not do, and pictures, except to illustrate text, used to be under the prohibitions.

   • 1975, William Nesmith, Congratulations, Graduate!, Thomas Nelson, Inc., →ISBN, page 62:

     And a person of integrity observes all the good sportsmanship rules toward a beaten opponent. Integrity recognizes the integrity of other persons. To do otherwise would be to commit a no-no. And you don’t want to go around committing no-noes, do you?

   • 1975, James H. Ryan, Pablum, Parents & Pandemonium: Glimpses of a Pediatrician’s World, New York, N.Y.: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, →ISBN, page 254:

     Countless issues arise in family life every day, from the litany of no-noes showered on the toddler, to calling the preschooler in for his lunch.

2. (baseball, colloquial) A no-hitter; a game in which no batter on one of the teams got a hit.

   He threw two no-nos in his career.

• (antonym(s) of “something forbidden, ...”): must

• no-no boy

• Noon, noon