Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Something unacceptable or impermissible.
  • noun A social blunder; a faux pas.
  • noun Baseball A game in which a pitcher allows no hits and no runs.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun informal Something improper, unethical, inadvisable, or illegal.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun colloquial Something that is forbidden, prohibited, discouraged or taboo.
  • noun baseball, colloquial A no-hitter; a game in which no batter on one of the teams got a hit.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Even information about the swimsuit is a no-no in Saudi Arabia, where a vigilant government blocks Western websites displaying or advertising the sale of bikinis.

    The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010

  • Even information about the swimsuit is a no-no in Saudi Arabia, where a vigilant government blocks Western websites displaying or advertising the sale of bikinis.

    The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010

  • Burmudas, black knee socks and wing-tips are my only no-no

    Page 2 2009

  • And forget drinking, that's a no-no, something about the ingredients in booze that could compromise my already weakened immune system.

    Nikki Luongo: Expect the Unexpected Nikki Luongo 2011

  • I and my tourist companions in a van were nearly lynched in Nairobi in 1969 when some idiot tourist took a photograph of people in a busy market in that city one day; a no-no in any sensible person´s book.

    Safety in lakeside 2009

  • Do you have a suggestion for our list of Twitter no-no's?

    What Not To Post On Twitter: 11 Things Your Tweeps Don't Need To Know 2011

  • If we just had a private plane for our personal pleasure, that would be a big no-no.

    Corporate Jet Set: Leisure vs. Business Mark Maremont 2011

  • And forget drinking, that's a no-no, something about the ingredients in booze that could compromise my already weakened immune system.

    Nikki Luongo: Expect the Unexpected Nikki Luongo 2011

  • Had he been able to finish off another no-no, Verlander would have become just the sixth player in baseball history to throw three or more no-hitters, and yet he still would have only been 43% of the way to matching Ryan's mark.

    A Record More Daunting Than DiMaggio's 56 2011

  • Some brands are taking great pains to ease men into the idea of tucking a short-sleeve woven shirt in pants, previously a fashion no-no.

    Stylish Guys Steal Short Sleeves From Nerds Ray A. Smith 2011

Comments

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  • JM thinks double negatives are a no-no.

    May 31, 2011

  • No-no is not a double negative in the conventional sense. Ain't you never seen one o' those?

    May 31, 2011