Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also lord-forbid) a child [= kid n.¹ (1)].

1899		A. Binstead Houndsditch Day by Day 20: That little ‘clock’ with the naked ‘Gord-forbids’ on it is yer very own. [Ibid.] 104: His old woman and ‘lord-forbids,’ as he called them in rhyming slang, hadn’t wanted for anything.
c.1900		[perf. Marie Lloyd] Clever, Ain’t You? 🎵 It was on a Thursday, what do you think I did? / Wheeled a pram', and sister Jane’s new ‘Lord forbid’ .
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 144/2: God-forbids (Rhyming). Kids — a cynical mode of describing children, by poor men who dread a long family.
1912		Sport (Adelaide) 26 Oct. 13/2: They Say [...] That Tom C. was seen playing with the ‘God-forbids’ at Eastwood.
1914		N.Z. Truth 31 Jan. 2/8: Do you get the twist and twirl [...] with a God forbid (a kid) on a false alarm (her arm).
1924		E.G. Murphy ‘Pink’ Dryblower’s Verses 81: On Christmas Eve — no kid — / ’E slings a Gord-forbid / A dinkum ’alf-a-quid.
1932		‘P.P.’ Rhy. Sl. 9: The ‘gooseberry’s’ gone to the ‘5 to 2’ for some ‘bees and honey’ ’cos the ‘Gawd forbids’ ain’t got no ‘Tommy Tucker’.
1938		G. Kersh Night and the City 27: Gorblimey, I got a wife and Gord-forbids at ’ome.
1941		G. Kersh They Die with Their Boots Clean 27: His phraseology is debased. He uses slang. To Barker, a row is a Bull-an’-a-Cow; a suit is a Whistle, or Whistle-an’-Flute; a kid is a Gord-Forbid.
1951		D. Stivens Jimmy Brockett 201: It was a wonderful thing to think you could have a God forbid who was almost a small copy of yourself.
1963		L.F. Freed Crime in S. Afr. 106: When he threatens his ‘God forbid’ he means that he is going to give his kid a hiding.
1969		S.T. Kendall Up the Frog 12: You’d ’ardly Adam ’n’ Eve it – ’is trouble and strife’s goin’ to ’ave anuvver Gawd forbid.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 44: any boy under the age of consent [...] god-forbid (fr Cockney rhyming sl = kid).
1977		D. Powis Signs of Crime 186: God forbids Children (kids).
1979		R. Barker Fletcher’s Book of Rhy. Sl. 39: My old Dutch and I [...] with our Gawd fer bids by our side.
1986–7		Maledicta IX 155: Those who go after god-forbids (rhyming slang for kids) [...] are anathema.
1999		Guardian Weekend 25 Sept. 24: Childhood. When we were God Forbids, we lived with our grandmother.

2. a hat [= lid n. (1)].

1936		J. Curtis Gilt Kid 73: Why don’t you take off your gawd-forbid? We’re passing the Cenotaph.
1972		Dodson & Saczek Dict. of Cockney Rhy. Sl.

3. a Jew [= Yid n.¹ ].

1960		J. Franklyn Dict. of Rhy. Sl.
1972		Dodson & Saczek Dict. of Cockney Rhy. Sl.