This social structure is enforced by powerful cultural taboos that promise the noncompliant will be cut off from Bynar society and banned from returning to Bynaus.

The rules are formally protected by supposedly powerful religious taboos, breach of which will result in supernatural punishment for all concerned.

Creb did have a reason; she had broken the most powerful taboo of the Clan.

But when Mr. North applied this method to New York City's pension fund, he was breaking a powerful taboo.

Public criticism of the military has been a powerful taboo.

At the same time, though, there is still a powerful taboo against making him seem too much like one of us.

One explanation for this may be that realistically painting the human form was "forbidden by a powerful religious taboo."

There is one taboo, the oldest and most powerful- I've been writing and thinking about it for thirty years.

The result has been a bizarre but extremely powerful taboo observed by Japanese book, magazine and newspaper publishers.

When Ms. Schackner tried to get information from neighbors, she discovered that she had stumbled into a powerful taboo.