American Accent
Slang & idioms
"once in a blue moon", drawn literally
Literally

once in a blue moon

(phrase)Neutral

What it actually means

Very rarely. Used to emphasize how seldom something happens.

In a sentence

  • “I only see my cousins once in a blue moon.”
  • “He calls his mom once in a blue moon, even though he means to call more.”

Also known as

rarelyhardly ever

Where it’s used

everyday

Listen + practice

Hear it spoken naturally

Read the expression aloud — we’ll score your pronunciation and flag the sounds to work on.

Click to record

More idioms like this

bite the bullet

To force yourself through something unpleasant because you have to — to do the hard thing now and get it over with.

the ball is in your court

It's your turn to make a decision or take action — the responsibility has been passed to you.

hit the nail on the head

To say or do exactly the right thing — to pinpoint the truth or solution precisely.

once in a blue moon — American slang definition + audio