Search results
idiom. Add to word list. rarely: Once in a blue moon he’d call, but for months at a time we heard nothing. (Definition of once in a blue moon from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) Examples of once in a blue moon. once in a blue moon. It only happens every once in a blue moon.
Dec 28, 2023 · The phrase "once in a blue moon" refers to an event that occurs very infrequently. The term 'blue moon' is used metaphorically in this idiom to signify rarity, as an actual blue moon—a second full moon in a single calendar month—is rare.
Jun 24, 2021 · The phrase “once in a blue moon” is an Indian phrase for the 4th full moon of a season, Europeans came along and started calling the 2nd full moon of a month a blue moon. The time between a true blue moon is much longer than 32 months.
once in a blue moon. Rarely, once in a very long time, as in We only see our daughter once in a blue moon. This term is something of a misnomer, because an actual blue moon-that is, the appearance of a second full moon in the same calendar month-occurs every 32 months or so.
Jul 10, 2024 · The meaning of ONCE IN A BLUE MOON is very rarely. How to use once in a blue moon in a sentence.
What's the meaning of the phrase 'Once in a blue moon'? Very rarely. What's the origin of the phrase 'Once in a blue moon'? Ask the man on the Clapham omnibus the question ‘What is a blue moon exactly?’ and you are likely to get one of three answers: 1. Duh. 2. It’s the second full moon in a calendar month. 3. It’s when the moon looks blue.
To do something “once in a blue moon” is to do it very rarely: “That company puts on a good performance only once in a blue moon.” The phrase refers to the appearance of a second full moon within a calendar month, which actually happens about every thirty-two months.
When we say something happens once in a blue moon, we don’t mean it occurs every time the moon takes on a blueish tint. The phrase is actually used to pinpoint an event that happens very rarely. Tracing Back the Origin and Etymology of the Phrase. Let’s take a look at the history of this idiomatic expression.
Once in a blue moon. The notion of a blue moon has been around for a very long time. During the 18th century, if someone said, “I’ll marry you when the moon is blue” it meant never because there was no such thing as a blue moon.
“Once in a blue moon someone surprises you and does something decent.” Origin. Although the moon can appear blue and a full blue moon is not very rare, the color blue was used arbitrarily in this phrase, since the 1500s, to say that something could not occur or be true.
