With all of the interest in space at the moment, it might be a good time to look at some idioms that involve space and interplanetary bodies. English has many sayings that include space, the planets and the heavens in general. Let’s have a look at some of them now.
 

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ONCE IN A BLUE MOON – This idiom means that something happens very rarely. It comes from the fact that blue moons are very rare themselves.
For example – “I only go out to the pub once in a blue moon. It is difficult now that I have had kids.”

OVER THE MOON – This means that you are very happy about something. Your happiness is as high as it can go.
For example – “I am over the moon with my new car. It handles like a dream.”

COME BACK DOWN TO EARTH – We use this after we have been involved in or seen something very exciting and then everything returns to normal/boring again. You have returned to earth after being high up in the clouds.
For example – “I really came back down to earth returning to work after my two week holiday through Africa.”

ROCKET SCIENTIST – While a rocket scientist needs to be very smart, we usually use this phrase when we are describing something that really doesn’t require someone to be very intelligent at all. It is usually something very mundane and easy.
For example – “It doesn’t really take a rocket scientist to work this machine. You just press the start button and it pretty much does the rest itself.”

REACH FOR THE STARS – This is usually used to motivate someone to strive for a goal or to achieve something they really want. It can also be used to make someone expand their goals for something more than they dare to think they can achieve.
For example – “You should always teach your children to reach for the stars and not be limited by what they think they are able to do.”/span>

EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN – This is just a flowery way of saying everything.
For example – “El Corte Ingles is a place where you can buy everything under the sun. From clothes to perfumes to electronic goods. It is all there.”

STARING INTO SPACE – We use this when someone is just looking straight ahead but not focusing on anything in particular. It is usually because they are thinking about or concentrating on something.
For example – “There were many days at school when I was told off by my teacher for staring off into space, but I was actually thinking about what she was talking about. Teachers never understood me.”/span>

A BLACK HOLE – This can be used when things just disappear. In space, black holes are said to be places of emptiness where things go to die. We can use it when we lose things or maybe to describe someone’s brain i.e. his head is a black hole where information gets lost.
For example – “Your room is like a black hole. Things go in there and are lost forever.”

As you can see, there are many idioms and phrases that have a theme centered around space. See if you can find some more as there are many still out there waiting to be discovered.

 
K. Charles
 

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