heaven forfend

English

WOTD – 30 August 2021

Etymology

From heaven (“abode of God”) + forfend (“to avert; to forbid, prohibit”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌhɛvn̩ fɔːˈfɛnd/, /-fə-/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌhɛv(ə)n fɔɹˈfɛnd/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛnd
• Hyphenation: heav‧en for‧fend

Interjection

heaven forfend

1. (dated or humorous) Used to express that one hopes that something does not happen: God forbid, heaven forbid.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:God forbid

   • 1990, Sam Simon and John Swartzwelder, “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish”, in The Simpsons:

     Advisor: The voters now see you as imperial and god-like. Burns: Hot dog! Advisor: But there's a down-side to it. The latest polls indicate you're in danger of losing touch with the common man. Burns: Oh, dear! Heaven forfend!

   • 2007 November 23, Scott Murray, “Why England’s failure is good news for, er, England”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian‎^[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 6 October 2014:

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

Usage notes

• The term is often used with irony, or in a tongue in cheek manner.

Translations

used to express that one hopes that something does not happen

• Estonian: taevas hoidku
• Finnish: Herra varjele