IdiomDaily Life
Spanish
Spanishcada muerte de obispo
Meaning: extremely rarely; once in a blue moon.
Literally: Each death of bishop
Example: “Mi primo nos visita cada muerte de obispo.” — My cousin visits us once in a blue moon.
English equivalent: Once in a blue moon
Other ways to say this
Italian: Ogni morte di papa Literally: Every death of a pope
English: Once in a blue moon
Afrikaans: So skaars soos hoendertande Literally: As scarce as hen's teeth- Spanish: de Pascuas a Ramos Literally: From Easter to Palm Sunday
Portuguese: de vez em nunca Literally: From time to never- English: as scarce as hen's teeth
Origin: Bishops were appointed for life and, as the Spanish Wiktionary notes, tended to live long, so a bishop's death, with its funeral and the choice of a successor, came round very rarely. The phrase uses that as a measure of rarity, like English "once in a blue moon." Spanish has many cousins, such as de Pascuas a Ramos and cuando las ranas críen pelo (when frogs grow hair).
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