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Glite Dictionary
no-no spot

no-no spot

9.6
A place where something is not allowed
  • noun
  • Informal
translation icon : zona prohibida
  • The playground is a no-no spot for smoking.

Examples

  • Parking in the no-no spot will earn you a hefty fine.

  • The sign clearly marks this as a no-no spot for dogs.

  • Children are taught to avoid the no-no spot in the schoolyard.

  • Don't take your bike into the no-no spot!

  • The sign clearly marks this as a no-no spot for dogs.

  • Children are taught to avoid the no-no spot in the schoolyard.

  • Parking in the no-no spot will earn you a hefty fine.

Synonyms

no-go area
vsno-no spot
  • Literature
1 7.5

A place people are afraid to enter or are not allowed to enter because it is dangerous

is used more broadly for places where activity is forbidden or discouraged

How Forbidden

no-go area
  • Literature
1 7.5
no-no spot
  • Informal
9.6

Surface Forms

no-no spot singular
no-no spots plural

Morphology

no-no + spot

The element 'no-no' expresses prohibition and 'spot' denotes a location, so the combined meaning 'a place where something is forbidden' is directly and compositionally derivable from the parts. Although 'no-no' is informal/childish, its prohibitive sense is clear and predictable, making the phrase immediately understandable to learners who know the constituents.

Etymology

The phrase no-no spot comes from adults saying no-no to children while pointing at a place called a spot. So a no-no spot means a place that is 'forbidden' or strongly not allowed.