62 Idioms for Rare

Idioms are fun parts of language. They use words in a special way. The meaning is not always clear at first. Kids can learn them step by step. Some idioms talk about things that do not happen often. These are called idioms for rare.

In this article, we will learn simple idioms for rare. Each one has a clear meaning and a small example. You will see how people use them in daily talk. This can help you speak and write better. It can also make learning English more fun.

Idioms for Rare

1. Once in a blue moon

Meaning: This means something happens very rarely.
Other Way to Say: very seldom, not often, almost never
Alternative Meaning: hardly ever, once in a while, very rare
She eats candy once in a blue moon.

2. Few and far between

Meaning: This means something is not seen or found often.
Other Way to Say: not many, hard to find, rare
Alternative Meaning: scarce, not common, limited
Snow days here are few and far between.

3. Hard to come by

Meaning: This means something is not easy to get.
Other Way to Say: hard to find, not easy, rare
Alternative Meaning: difficult to get, not common, limited
Old comic books are hard to come by.

4. One of a kind

Meaning: This means something is very special and rare.
Other Way to Say: special, rare, different
Alternative Meaning: only one, unlike others, very unique
My grandma’s ring is one of a kind.

5. Like hen’s teeth

Meaning: This means something is very rare.
Other Way to Say: very rare, hard to find, scarce
Alternative Meaning: almost never seen, unusual, not common
That toy is like hen’s teeth.

6. Once in a lifetime

Meaning: This means something may happen only one time.
Other Way to Say: one time, rare chance, special moment
Alternative Meaning: very rare event, not again, special time
Seeing the Grand Canyon is once in a lifetime.

7. Not every day

Meaning: This means something does not happen often.
Other Way to Say: rare, not usual, not common
Alternative Meaning: sometimes, once in a while, unusual
We don’t see a parade here every day.

8. Out of the ordinary

Meaning: This means something is not usual.
Other Way to Say: different, strange, rare
Alternative Meaning: not normal, uncommon, unusual
That loud noise was out of the ordinary.

9. A rare find

Meaning: This means something special that is hard to find.
Other Way to Say: lucky find, special item, rare thing
Alternative Meaning: uncommon item, hard to get, special piece
That book was a rare find.

10. Once in a while

Meaning: This means something happens sometimes but not often.
Other Way to Say: sometimes, now and then, not often
Alternative Meaning: every so often, at times, rarely
We eat out once in a while.

11. Every now and then

Meaning: This means something happens sometimes.
Other Way to Say: sometimes, once in a while, not often
Alternative Meaning: now and again, at times, rarely
I play video games every now and then.

12. Not often seen

Meaning: This means something is rare to see.
Other Way to Say: rare, uncommon, hard to spot
Alternative Meaning: not usual, seldom seen, not common
That bird is not often seen.

13. Rare as gold

Meaning: This means something is very rare and special.
Other Way to Say: very special, rare, precious
Alternative Meaning: valuable, uncommon, special
Good friends are rare as gold.

14. A rare treat

Meaning: This means something special that does not happen often.
Other Way to Say: special fun, nice surprise, rare joy
Alternative Meaning: uncommon treat, special event, fun moment
Ice cream on a school day is a rare treat.

15. Not easy to find

Meaning: This means something is rare.
Other Way to Say: hard to get, rare, not common
Alternative Meaning: difficult to find, scarce, limited
That toy is not easy to find.

16. Seldom seen

Meaning: This means something is rarely seen.
Other Way to Say: rare, not common, unusual
Alternative Meaning: not often seen, scarce, uncommon
Snow in summer is seldom seen.

17. A rare chance

Meaning: This means a chance that does not happen often.
Other Way to Say: special chance, lucky moment, rare time
Alternative Meaning: uncommon chance, once chance, not often
This is a rare chance to meet a star.

18. Not common

Meaning: This means something is rare.
Other Way to Say: rare, unusual, not usual
Alternative Meaning: uncommon, different, scarce
That plant is not common here.

19. Hardly ever

Meaning: This means almost never.
Other Way to Say: almost never, rarely, not often
Alternative Meaning: seldom, very rare, once in a while
I hardly ever miss school.

20. A rare gem

Meaning: This means something very special and rare.
Other Way to Say: special, rare, valuable
Alternative Meaning: unique item, precious, uncommon
That movie is a rare gem.

21. Out of place

Meaning: This means something is not usual in that spot.
Other Way to Say: strange, unusual, rare
Alternative Meaning: not normal, different, uncommon
A snowman in summer looks out of place.

22. Rare sight

Meaning: This means something is not seen often.
Other Way to Say: uncommon, not usual, rare
Alternative Meaning: seldom seen, unusual view, rare thing
A rainbow at night is a rare sight.

23. Once in ages

Meaning: This means something happens after a long time.
Other Way to Say: rarely, not often, seldom
Alternative Meaning: after long time, once in a while, uncommon
We visit that park once in ages.

24. A rare moment

Meaning: This means a special time that does not happen often.
Other Way to Say: special time, rare event, uncommon
Alternative Meaning: unique time, not often, special
That quiet time was a rare moment.

25. Not usual

Meaning: This means something is rare.
Other Way to Say: uncommon, rare, strange
Alternative Meaning: not normal, different, unusual
Hot weather in winter is not usual.

26. Hardly seen

Meaning: This means something is almost never seen.
Other Way to Say: rare, seldom seen, not common
Alternative Meaning: hardly ever, unusual, scarce
That animal is hardly seen.

27. A rare case

Meaning: This means something does not happen often.
Other Way to Say: unusual case, rare event, not common
Alternative Meaning: uncommon, special case, rare
That was a rare case in school.

28. Very rare

Meaning: This means something almost never happens.
Other Way to Say: hardly ever, almost never, rare
Alternative Meaning: uncommon, scarce, unusual
Snow here is very rare.

29. Not many

Meaning: This means only a few exist.
Other Way to Say: few, rare, limited
Alternative Meaning: not a lot, scarce, small number
Not many kids have that toy.

30. A rare bird

Meaning: This means a person or thing is special and uncommon.
Other Way to Say: different, special, rare
Alternative Meaning: unusual, unique, one of a kind
He is a rare bird at school.

31. Not seen much

Meaning: This means something is rare.
Other Way to Say: rare, uncommon, not usual
Alternative Meaning: seldom seen, unusual, scarce
That car is not seen much.

32. Rare event

Meaning: This means something that does not happen often.
Other Way to Say: uncommon, special, rare
Alternative Meaning: unusual event, not common, seldom
That was a rare event in town.

33. Hard to spot

Meaning: This means something is not easy to see.
Other Way to Say: rare, hard to find, not common
Alternative Meaning: difficult to see, uncommon, scarce
That bird is hard to spot.

34. A rare thing

Meaning: This means something is not common.
Other Way to Say: uncommon, special, rare
Alternative Meaning: unusual, not normal, scarce
Kind acts are a rare thing.

35. Not regular

Meaning: This means something does not happen often.
Other Way to Say: rare, not usual, uncommon
Alternative Meaning: not normal, occasional, rare
Rain here is not regular.

36. Once in a great while

Meaning: This means something happens very rarely.
Other Way to Say: very rare, seldom, not often
Alternative Meaning: almost never, hardly ever, rare
We go camping once in a great while.

37. A rare sighting

Meaning: This means seeing something rare.
Other Way to Say: uncommon sight, rare view, special sight
Alternative Meaning: seldom seen, unusual, rare
That deer was a rare sighting.

38. Not easy to see

Meaning: This means something is rare.
Other Way to Say: hard to spot, rare, uncommon
Alternative Meaning: not common, scarce, unusual
That star is not easy to see.

39. Rare chance

Meaning: This means a chance that does not happen often.
Other Way to Say: special chance, lucky time, rare
Alternative Meaning: uncommon chance, not often, rare
This is a rare chance to win.

40. Hardly happens

Meaning: This means something almost never happens.
Other Way to Say: rare, seldom, almost never
Alternative Meaning: not often, once in a while, rare
Snow here hardly happens.

41. A rare item

Meaning: This means something is not common.
Other Way to Say: special item, rare thing, uncommon
Alternative Meaning: limited, hard to find, rare
That toy is a rare item.

42. Not seen often

Meaning: This means something is rare.
Other Way to Say: uncommon, rare, not usual
Alternative Meaning: seldom seen, scarce, unusual
That fish is not seen often.

43. Rare moment

Meaning: This means a special time that is not common.
Other Way to Say: special time, rare event, uncommon
Alternative Meaning: unusual moment, not often, rare
That laugh was a rare moment.

44. Not many times

Meaning: This means something happens rarely.
Other Way to Say: rarely, seldom, not often
Alternative Meaning: once in a while, hardly ever, rare
We go there not many times.

45. A rare find indeed

Meaning: This means something is very special and rare.
Other Way to Say: great find, special item, rare
Alternative Meaning: uncommon, valuable, rare
That card is a rare find indeed.

46. Hard to get

Meaning: This means something is rare or not easy to have.
Other Way to Say: rare, not easy, hard to find
Alternative Meaning: difficult to get, limited, uncommon
That game is hard to get.

47. Not usual at all

Meaning: This means something is very rare.
Other Way to Say: rare, uncommon, strange
Alternative Meaning: unusual, not normal, scarce
That sound is not usual at all.

48. Rare look

Meaning: This means seeing something not often seen.
Other Way to Say: uncommon view, rare sight, special look
Alternative Meaning: unusual, not common, rare
That was a rare look at the sky.

49. Not found often

Meaning: This means something is rare.
Other Way to Say: uncommon, rare, scarce
Alternative Meaning: not usual, limited, hard to find
That plant is not found often.

50. A rare time

Meaning: This means a moment that does not happen often.
Other Way to Say: special time, rare moment, uncommon
Alternative Meaning: not often, once in a while, rare
That was a rare time to rest.

51. Hard to see

Meaning: This means something is rare or not easy to notice.
Other Way to Say: rare, hard to spot, uncommon
Alternative Meaning: difficult to see, scarce, unusual
That star is hard to see.

52. A rare day

Meaning: This means a day that is not usual.
Other Way to Say: special day, rare time, uncommon
Alternative Meaning: unusual day, not common, rare
Snow in Texas is a rare day.

53. Not seen before

Meaning: This means something is very rare.
Other Way to Say: new, rare, unusual
Alternative Meaning: not common, never seen, special
That trick was not seen before.

54. Rare thing to see

Meaning: This means something is not seen often.
Other Way to Say: uncommon, rare, unusual
Alternative Meaning: seldom seen, not common, scarce
That was a rare thing to see.

55. Not a common sight

Meaning: This means something is rare.
Other Way to Say: rare, uncommon, unusual
Alternative Meaning: seldom seen, not usual, scarce
A moose here is not a common sight.

56. Rare case indeed

Meaning: This means something is very uncommon.
Other Way to Say: unusual case, rare event, special
Alternative Meaning: not common, scarce, rare
That was a rare case indeed.

57. Hard to notice

Meaning: This means something is rare or not easy to see.
Other Way to Say: rare, hard to spot, uncommon
Alternative Meaning: difficult to see, scarce, unusual
That star is hard to notice.

58. Not much seen

Meaning: This means something is rare.
Other Way to Say: uncommon, rare, not usual
Alternative Meaning: seldom seen, scarce, unusual
That bird is not much seen.

59. A rare show

Meaning: This means something that does not happen often.
Other Way to Say: special event, rare, uncommon
Alternative Meaning: unusual show, not common, rare
That was a rare show at school.

60. Rare moment in life

Meaning: This means a very special and uncommon time.
Other Way to Say: special moment, rare time, unique
Alternative Meaning: once in a lifetime, uncommon, rare
Winning felt like a rare moment in life.

61. Not easy to get

Meaning: This means something is rare.
Other Way to Say: hard to find, rare, limited
Alternative Meaning: difficult to get, scarce, uncommon
That toy is not easy to get.

62. Rare chance indeed

Meaning: This means a very special chance that does not happen often.
Other Way to Say: special chance, rare moment, lucky time
Alternative Meaning: uncommon chance, once chance, rare
This is a rare chance indeed.

20 Fill in the Blanks: “Idioms for Rare”

1. We go to Disneyland __________ because it is far away.
2. Snow in Florida is __________.
3. Finding a parking spot near the mall on Black Friday is __________.
4. We eat fast food __________, only on special days.
5. A quiet day in a busy school is __________.
6. My dad buys new shoes __________.
7. Seeing a rainbow in winter is a __________.
8. We visit our cousins in another state __________.
9. Fresh strawberries in winter are __________.
10. A cool day in Texas summer is __________.
11. My family goes to the movies __________.
12. A teacher being absent is __________.
13. We see deer in our city __________.
14. My brother cleans his room __________.
15. A big snowstorm in spring is __________.
16. Getting a day off from school in the middle of the week is __________.
17. We go camping __________ because we are busy.
18. Finding an old coin in the park is a __________.
19. My grandma travels by plane __________.
20. A power outage in our town is __________.

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Answers

1. once in a blue moon
2. very rare
3. hard to come by
4. once in a while
5. out of the ordinary
6. once in ages
7. rare sight
8. once in a great while
9. hard to come by
10. rare event
11. every now and then
12. not often seen
13. hardly ever
14. once in a blue moon
15. rare event
16. not every day
17. once in a great while
18. rare find
19. once in a while
20. not common

Conclusion

Idioms for rare help us talk about things that do not happen often. They make our speech more fun and clear. When you learn these idioms, you can share ideas in a better way. You can also understand others more easily.

Keep practicing these idioms in daily life. Try to use them at home, at school, or with friends. Little by little, you will get better. Learning idioms can be simple and fun.