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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

once in a blue moon en · ADV

Pronunciation

  • /wʌns ɪn ə bluː muːn/
  • (Australia) audio

Etymology

See blue moon. First use appears c. 1833. See citation below.

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic, not-comparable) 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. 1833, J. Lection (publisher), The Athenæum, page 780:
    • [T]ime expanded and space contracted, and the name Blue Moon took on a symbolic meaning, as if the future, so delicately plausible, were of a kind that might happen once in a blue moon only. 1933, James Hilton, Lost Horizon, published 1973, page 133:

Relateds

never event · once-in-a-lifetime

Synonyms

rarely · unoften · once in a purple moon · uncommonly · seldomly · infrequently · seldom · scarcely

Translations (39)

tr kırk yılda bir (very rarely) · cmn 千載難逢 /千载难逢 (very rarely) · cy unwaith yn y pedwar amser (very rarely) · es una vez a las quinientas (very rarely) · nl eens in de zoveel tijd (very rarely) · es de higos a brevas (very rarely) · gd uair san ràith (very rarely) · ta அத்தி பூத்தாற் போல் (very rarely) · de alle Jubeljahre (very rarely) · ka ათასში ერთხელ (very rarely) · yue 千載難逢 /千载难逢 (very rarely) · ga uair umá seach (very rarely) · ta ஆடிக்கு ஒரு முறை அமாவாசைக்கு ஒரு முறை (very rarely) · pt uma vez na vida, outra na morte (very rarely) · ga uair sna naoi n-aird (very rarely) · es de Pascuas a Ramos (very rarely) · eo ege malofte (very rarely) · es de ciento en viento (very rarely) · th มากไม่ค่อย (very rarely) · es cada muerte de obispo (very rarely) · el στη χάση και στη φέξη (very rarely) · it una volta ogni morte di papa (very rarely) · pt de vez em nunca (very rarely) · pl raz na ruski rok (very rarely) · vi năm thì mười hoạ (very rarely) · fi todella harvoin (very rarely) · es de guindas a brevas (very rarely) · yue 十年唔逢一閏 /十年唔逢一闰 (very rarely) · az aydan, ildən bir dəfə (very rarely) · sk raz za uhorský rok (very rarely) · ja ごくまれに (very rarely) · it ogni morte di papa (very rarely) · cs jednou za uherský rok (very rarely) · pl od wielkiego dzwonu (very rarely) · fr tous les trente-six du mois (very rarely) · es muy de vez en cuando (very rarely) · ru раз в сто ле́т (very rarely) · es de ciento a viento (very rarely) · fr une fois toutes les lunes (very rarely)