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Learn the meaning and usage of the idiom once in a blue moon, which means not very often or rarely. See how it is used in sentences from the Cambridge English Corpus and other sources.
Dec 28, 2023 · Learn the meaning and origin of the idiom \"once in a blue moon\", which means an event is very rare. Find out how to use it in sentences, pop culture, and synonyms.
Learn the meaning and usage of the idiom once in a blue moon, which means very rarely. See example sentences from recent sources and synonyms of the phrase.
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Let's start with 3. Very occasionally, the moon actually does appear to be blue. This sometimes occurs after a volcanic eruption, like that of Krakatao in 1883. Dust particles in the atmosphere are normally of a size to diffract blue light, making the moon appear reddish at sunset. Larger volcanic dust particles diffract red light, making the moon ...
Tempting as it is to suppose that something that happens very rarely, and which is mentioned by name in a phrase that means 'very rarely', is the source of the phrase, it probably isn't.
Actual examples of the moon appearing blue would in fact be the exception that proves the rule, as the 'blue moon' was originally something that was considered not rare but impossible. The two notions, 'a blue moon' and 'the moon is made of green cheese', were synonyms for absurdity, like 'pigs might fly'.
The 'blue moon' expression with the 'impossibility' meaning is old and dates back to medieval England; for example, a work by William Barlow, the Bishop of Chichester, the Treatyse of the Buryall of the Masse, 1528, included a sarcastic reference to a blue moon:
Moving on to answer No. 2. To explain that one we have to follow a long trail of etymological research, leading back to an American amateur astronomer called James Pruett.
Since 1819, The Maine Farmers' Almanac has listed the dates of forthcoming blue moons. The compilers of the almanac had their own definition of what blue moons are. This derives from the fact that lunar and calendar months aren't quite the same and that some years have 13 full moons. In a typical 12-moon year, the moons all have names, like the fam...
Two full moons in a month isn't really all that rare an occurrence - it happens approximately every three years. Despite it being both inaccurate and coined by mistake, Pruett's No. 2 answer is now widely accepted as a definition of 'blue moon'.
Learn the history and usage of the expression 'once in a blue moon', which can mean either a very rare event or the second full moon in a month. Find out how the phrase evolved from a medieval insult to a common idiom and how it relates to the color of the moon.
Aug 24, 2012 · So, by the mid-19th century, it was clear that visibly blue Moons, though rare, did happen from time to time — whence the phrase "once in a blue Moon." It meant then exactly what it means today, a fairly infrequent event, not quite regular enough to pinpoint. That's meaning number four, and today it is still the main one.
idiom. blue moon ( def 5 ). 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.
Learn the meaning, origin and usage of the phrase \"once in a blue moon\", which means very rarely or almost never. Find out the history of the expression and see some example sentences and comments.
