once in a blue moon

American  

[wuhns in uh bloo moon] / ˈwʌns ɪn ə ˈblu ˈmun /

idiom

1. blue moon.

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once in a blue moon Cultural  

1. 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.

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once in a blue moon More Idioms  

1. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of once in a blue moon

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

As it only happens once every few years, it is where we get the expression 'once in a blue Moon' from.

From BBC

“Once in a blue moon,” the frame reads.

From The Wall Street Journal

Once in a blue moon, a person is willing to do the hard internal work that leads to real, sustainable change.

From Salon

Every once in a blue moon, our youngest daughter Amma has a Sunday soccer game; in that case, you’ll find me on the sidelines at her game.

From Los Angeles Times

It's a phenomenon - or, to use Chappell's terminology, a Femininomenon - that only occurs once in a blue moon.

From BBC

Related Words

• every now and then
• every so often
• infrequently
• intermittently
• now and again
• occasionally
• periodically
• sporadically