blue moon
a very long period of time
TRANSLATION
alle Jubeljahre einmal, alle Jubeljahre, alle heiligen Zeiten einmal, ganz selten
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
"So what if you have to pay to check in a suitcase! If taking hand luggage only and going hungry for a couple of hours means you can see the world, isn't that better than paying higher airline prices and travelling once in a blue moon?"
(Jeannette Hyde in The Observer, Sunday June 3, 2001)
(Jeannette Hyde in The Observer, Sunday June 3, 2001)
Did you
know?
Did you know?
The term "Blue Moon" has been around a long time, well over 400 years. The very earliest uses of the term were remarkably like saying the Moon is made of green cheese, an obvious absurdity, about which there could be no doubt. "He would argue the Moon was blue" was taken by the average person of the 16th century as we take "He'd argue that black is white."
The concept that a blue Moon was absurd (the first meaning) led eventually to a second meaning, that of "never." The statement "I'll marry you, m'lady, when the Moon is blue!" would not have been taken as a betrothal in the 18th century.
But there are also historical examples of the Moon actually turning blue. When the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa exploded in 1883, its dust turned sunsets green and the Moon blue all around the world for the best part of two years. In 1927, the Indian monsoons were late arriving and the extra-long dry season blew up enough dust for a blue Moon. And Moons in northeastern North America turned blue in 1951 when huge forest fires in western Canada threw smoke particles up into the sky.
So, by the mid-19th century, it was clear that visibly blue Moons, though rare, did happen from time to time - therefore the phrase "once in a blue Moon." refers to an event which happens very rarely.
The term "Blue Moon" has been around a long time, well over 400 years. The very earliest uses of the term were remarkably like saying the Moon is made of green cheese, an obvious absurdity, about which there could be no doubt. "He would argue the Moon was blue" was taken by the average person of the 16th century as we take "He'd argue that black is white."
The concept that a blue Moon was absurd (the first meaning) led eventually to a second meaning, that of "never." The statement "I'll marry you, m'lady, when the Moon is blue!" would not have been taken as a betrothal in the 18th century.
But there are also historical examples of the Moon actually turning blue. When the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa exploded in 1883, its dust turned sunsets green and the Moon blue all around the world for the best part of two years. In 1927, the Indian monsoons were late arriving and the extra-long dry season blew up enough dust for a blue Moon. And Moons in northeastern North America turned blue in 1951 when huge forest fires in western Canada threw smoke particles up into the sky.
So, by the mid-19th century, it was clear that visibly blue Moons, though rare, did happen from time to time - therefore the phrase "once in a blue Moon." refers to an event which happens very rarely.
