{"id":289,"date":"2025-07-02T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T08:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingfieldmarks.com\/wingfieldblog\/?p=289"},"modified":"2025-06-26T17:23:49","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T16:23:49","slug":"once-in-a-blue-moon-the-curious-story-behind-the-phrase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingfieldmarks.com\/wingfieldblog\/once-in-a-blue-moon-the-curious-story-behind-the-phrase\/","title":{"rendered":"Once in a Blue Moon – The Curious Story Behind the Phrase"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some sayings are so familiar that we hardly think about them. Once in a blue moon<\/em><\/strong> is one of those \u2014 a casual way of saying something is rare, unusual, or almost never happens. But as I sat at my desk last week, tinkering with a few email headlines, I suddenly wondered: what is<\/em> a blue moon anyway? And has anyone ever actually seen one?<\/p>\n

Naturally, I couldn\u2019t resist digging in.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd2d What Is a Blue Moon?<\/h3>\n

\"\"Despite the poetic name, a blue moon doesn\u2019t usually look blue. It\u2019s a term from astronomy, and it refers to an extra full moo<\/strong>n<\/em> in a calendar period. Usually, we get one full moon per month \u2014 12 per year. But every 2\u20133 years, there are 13 full moons in a year instead of 12. That “extra” moon is known as a blue moon<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

There are two definitions that have emerged over time:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Seasonal Definition<\/strong>: The third full moon in a season that has four full moons (rather than the usual three).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Calendar Definition<\/strong>: The second full moon in a single calendar month.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    It\u2019s the second one that most people know today \u2014 and it became popular not through astronomy books, but a misinterpretation printed in a 1946 Sky & Telescope<\/em> magazine article. Funny how mistakes stick.<\/p>\n

    \ud83c\udf15 Why \u201cBlue\u201d?<\/h3>\n

    The moon can actually appear blue \u2014 but only under rare conditions, like after a volcanic eruption or a major wildfire when particles in the atmosphere scatter red light. One example was in 1883, when Krakatoa erupted. People all over the world reported seeing a literally blue-hued moon.<\/p>\n

    But that\u2019s nothing to do with the phrase. \u201cBlue\u201d here just means \u201crare\u201d \u2014 and no one\u2019s entirely sure how that colour got associated with rarity. There\u2019s even an old English expression, “He\u2019d argue the moon was blue,\u201d<\/em> meaning someone who\u2019ll argue something absurd.<\/p>\n

    Over time, \u201cblue moon\u201d simply came to mean a rare event<\/em>, and \u201conce in a blue moon\u201d \u2014 something that hardly ever happens.<\/p>\n

    \ud83e\udde0 When to Use It<\/h3>\n

    I\u2019ve found it\u2019s a useful phrase for online marketing too.<\/p>\n

      \n
    • \n

      A once-in-a-blue-moon offer<\/em> (just don\u2019t overuse that tactic)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      Blogging consistency \u2014 not something to do once in a blue moon!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      Checking your analytics properly \u2014 once in a blue moon isn\u2019t enough!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Language is powerful, especially when it carries a bit of story with it. When you use phrases like these, you\u2019re adding colour and rhythm to your writing, while giving readers something familiar to hang onto.<\/p>\n

      And that\u2019s one small way to stand out \u2014 especially in a world of cookie-cutter content.<\/p>\n

      \ud83e\uddfe Closing Thought<\/h2>\n

      So the next time you hear once in a blue moon<\/em><\/strong>, you\u2019ll know it\u2019s not about rare lunar hues \u2014 it\u2019s about time, rhythm, and the curious way humans label the world around them.<\/p>\n

      It\u2019s a phrase rooted in astronomy, cemented by a printing mistake, and now used by marketers like me to add a touch of charm to our writing.<\/p>\n

      Not bad for five little words.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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