heaven forfend

English

Interjection

heaven forfend

1. To say that one hopes that something does not happen.
   • 2007, Nov 23. Scott Murray in Guardian Unlimited, Why England's failure is good news for, er, England

     Now there's an opportunity to employ a man who, heaven forfend, actually thinks about tactics and team balance.

Usage notes

• This expression often used with irony, or tongue in cheek. See example quote above.

Synonyms

• heaven forbid