once in a blue moon
Very seldom indeed
Once in a blue moon means very rarely, almost never.
A blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month—an uncommon occurrence that happens roughly every two to three years.
The phrase emphasizes extreme infrequency: We only see each other once in a blue moon.
Once in a blue moon, he'll cook dinner.
- now and thenAt infrequent intervals
- seldomOn few occasions
- rarelyNot often occurring
- infrequentHappening only occasionally
- few and far betweenRarely encountered, widely spaced
every now and again · hard to come by · one in a million · sporadically · anomaly · uncommon · needle in a haystack · exceptional · hardly · oddity · out of the ordinary · scarce · extraordinary · against all odds · when pigs fly · serendipity · phenomenon · precious
- Color Idiomsblack sheep, green light, red flag, white lie, golden rule
- folk sayingsproverb, adage, maxim, folk saying, old saying
- idiomstime flies, hit the sack, seize the day, ring a bell, break a leg
- infrequencyrarely, seldom, infrequent, occasionally, sometimes
- rarityrare, scarce, uncommon, infrequent, scant
- time sayingstime flies, time is money, time heals all wounds, time will tell, carpe diem
once in a blue moonalways
At all times
constantly · all the time · frequently · often · regularly
blue, once, moon, moonlit, mooning, infrequently, moonless, blue moon