例句-1:we all live fairly close to each other, so i get to see everyone quite regularly - everyone except for my older sister rachel. she moved out to san bernardino, which is miles away, so we only see each other once in a blue moon.
once in a blue moon这个习惯用语是在19世纪初开始出现的,可是到现在人们还在普遍使用。许多人知道once in a blue moon这个习惯用语的意思,可是却不知道它跟天文学之间的关系。
原来blue moon指的是在一个月里出现第二次全月。这种现象是很少发生的,每隔32个月才出现一次,所以美国人用once in a blue moon来形容很少发生的事情。
我们再来举一个例子。美国的房租是很高的。租金越高,房客对居住的条件,对房主提供的服务也期望更高。
下面是一个人在抱怨他的房东没有把他住的公寓大楼保持在一定的水平。
例句-2:i think that for the price we pay, the landlord should do a better job of maintaining the building. but he never does anything other than having the hallway carpets cleaned once in a blue moon. it's just not good enough.