love affair
1. A very passionate romantic or sexual relationship, especially one that is temporary. Several years after the death of her husband, Janet reconnected with a man with whom she'd had an intimate love affair in their youth and had never stopped thinking about. Pretty much every teenager thinks their real first relationship is the greatest and most important love affair of their life.
2. An intense passion or enthusiasm (for something). Almost always followed by "with (something)." The accident ended my brief love affair with motorcycles. This generation's love affair with mobile devices is going to be the downfall of modern society.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
love affair
1. An intimate sexual relationship, as in They had a torrid love affair many years ago. This expression dates from about 1600, when it referred merely to the experiences connected with being in love. The current sense dates from the second half of the 1800s.
2. A strong enthusiasm, as in We can't ignore America's love affair with the automobile. [Mid-1900s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.