Once in a blue moon
Meaning: Very rarely.
Language: English
Literally: Once in a blue moon
Category: Nature
Origin: A 'blue moon' is a rare second full moon in a month; the phrase fixed the sense of rarity by the 19th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Italian: Ogni morte di papa — literally: Every death of a pope
- Afrikaans: So skaars soos hoendertande — literally: As scarce as hen's teeth
More idioms — Nature
- To break the ice — To ease the initial tension in a social situation.
- To give a wide berth — To keep well away from someone or something.
- Echar leña al fuego — To make a bad situation worse.
- Prendere lucciole per lanterne — To be completely and badly mistaken.
- Ficar a ver navios — To be left disappointed and empty-handed.
- Att kasta yxan i sjön — To give up completely.
More English idioms
- To throw a spanner in the works — To sabotage or disrupt a plan.
- A skeleton in the closet — A shameful secret kept hidden.
- To read the riot act — To reprimand someone sternly.
- To pull out all the stops — To make every possible effort.
- To have egg on your face — To look foolish or embarrassed.
- To jump on the bandwagon — To join something only once it becomes popular.
From our compliments & insults
- Testa di rapa — A blockhead who isn't thinking.
- Du hast doch einen Vogel — You're a bit out of your mind.
- Du gehst mir auf den Keks — You're getting on my nerves.