blue moon n. The second full moon occurring in the same month; derived from the expression once in a blue moon; as, we had a blue moon on January 31, 1999, and another in March.
once in a blue moon very rarely; from the observation that the moon rarely has a bluish tint. Note: In 1980, the phrase blue moon was applied to the second full moon of any month, because this phenomenon is unusual. This new meaning for blue moon, a long time, used primarily in the phrase once in a blue moon, has become widely accepted.
... latter's reception of his distress had been so startlingly obnoxious that he would have died rather than repeat the venture. Then Smith of Dale's, Old Bond Street—Smith, who had cut his hair since he was a boy, and was his fast friend—had told him of Blue Moon. ... — Anthony Lyveden • Dornford Yates Read full book for free!
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