From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishoff limitsoff limitsFORBID a) beyond the area where someone is allowed to go That area of beach was off limits to us ‘city kids’. b) beyond what you are allowed to do or have His private life is off limits to the press. → limit
Examples from the Corpus
off limits• The basement was always off limits to us kids.• Nearly one-quarter of the land will be completely off limits to development.• Social Security, 25 percent of all spending for other than interest on the debt, has been declared off limits.• Rumour has it that these are children with learning difficulties; off limits to our group of visiting helpers.• Consequently there is no topic that is off limits for discussion, even if a few are off limits for experimentation.• People's reaction to loss remains one of society's least understood and most off limits topics for discussion.• However; it was off limits for Robbie to hit or scratch his sister.• Unlike most group discussions, nothing was off limits.off limitsˌoff ˈlimits adjective → be off limits 