English Reference
Idiom idiom

blue moon


A long time.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

I have not seen him in a blue moon.

CONTEXTUAL

It has been a blue moon since we last visited our old family home in the countryside.

COMPLEX

After a blue moon spent traveling through distant lands, the explorer finally returned to find his hometown completely transformed by time.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    ask for the moon

    To claim or desire something that one cannot have.

  2. 02

    blue chamber

    A forbidden room.

  3. 03

    blue devils

    Low spirits; depression.

  4. 04

    blue note

    The flatted 5th scale degree in the blues scale.

  5. 05

    blue ribbon

    Highly superior in quality, style, substance, prestige, etc.

  6. 06

    blue state

    A state of the United States voting Democratic in a given election, or tending to vote Democratic in general.

  7. 07

    blue wall of silence

    Strict secretiveness maintained by the members of a police force with respect to information which might be contrary to their interests, especially information concerning questionable police actions.

  8. 08

    bolt from the blue

    A complete surprise; something totally unexpected.

Last updated August 10, 2026