once in a blue moon

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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.

Words nearby once in a blue moon

onboard, onc, once, once and for all, once bitten, twice shy, once in a blue moon, once in a lifetime, once in a while, once more unto the breach, dear friends, once over lightly, once upon a time

Words related to once in a blue moon

intermittently, infrequently, occasionally, sporadically, periodically, seldom, sometimes, hardly, scarcely, rarely, frequently, consistently, constantly, sparingly, comparatively, practically, barely, simply, somewhat, just

Idioms and Phrases with once in a blue moon

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. Further, the moon can appear blue in color at any time, depending on weather conditions. [Early 1800s]