once in a blue moon
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once in a blue moon
- /wʌns ɪn ə bluː muːn/
Where it comes from
See blue moon. First use appears c. 1833. See citation below.
adverb
-
Very rarely; very infrequently.
We are no advocates for the eternal system of producing foreign operas to the exclusion of the works of English composers, but once in a blue moon such a thing may be allowed.
Similar: once in a purple moon, rarely, seldom, infrequently, scarcely, seldomly, uncommonly, unoften
Translations
Every language
adv very rarely
| Español | cada muerte de obispo, de guindas a brevas, de higos a brevas, de Pascuas a Ramos, de ciento a viento, de ciento en viento |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ごくまれに gokumare ni |
| 中文 | 千載難逢 /千载难逢 qiānzǎinánféng |
| Português | de vez em nunca, uma vez na vida, outra na morte |
| Français | tous les trente-six du mois, une fois toutes les lunes |
| Deutsch | alle Jubeljahre |
| Italiano | una volta ogni morte di papa, ogni morte di papa |
| Ελληνικά | στη χάση και στη φέξη sti chási kai sti féxi |
| Русский | раз в сто ле́т raz v sto lét |
| Tiếng Việt | năm thì mười hoạ |
Talk about this word "once in a blue moon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/once%20in%20a%20blue%20moon. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. once in a blue moon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/once%20in%20a%20blue%20moon "once in a blue moon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/once%20in%20a%20blue%20moon.Cite this
@misc{once_in_a_blue_moon_2026,
title = {once in a blue moon},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/once%20in%20a%20blue%20moon},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
