moonburn

English

Etymology

From moon +‎ burn, by analogy with sunburn.

Pronunciation

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Noun

moonburn (countable and uncountable, plural moonburns)

1. (humorous) A hypothetical burn on the skin caused by excess exposure to moonlight.
   • 1995 March 10, “Moonlight Causes Slight Warming on Earth, Study Finds”, in Los Angeles Times:

     Researchers say the light of the full moon causes the Earth to heat up, ever so slightly. "Moonburn is not a problem," climate expert Robert C. Balling said.

   • 1996 January 28, Jeff Klinkenberg, “An Uneasy Balance”, in St. Petersburg Times:

     "Last night, the moon was so bright I could have gotten a moonburn," he says.

   • 2005, Marc Zvi Brettler, How to Read the Bible, Jewish Publication Society, →ISBN, page 165:

     Colon A ("By day the sun will not strike you") makes sense, given the strong Mediterranean sun. But to the best of my knowledge, no one has ever suffered moonburn.

   • 2006 August 1, Linton Weeks, “Washington Coverup”, in The Washington Post:

     Her husband, Walker, 38, laughs and says Teresa might start carrying one at night to protect against "moonburn."

   • 2010 May 24, Lee Aronsohn, Steven Molaro & Steve Holland, "The Lunar Excitation", episode 3-23 of The Big Bang Theory, 00:00:

     Sheldon Cooper: I should have brought an umbrella.
     

     Leonard Hofstadter: What for? It's not gonna rain.
     

     Sheldon Cooper: I know that. But with skin as fair as mine, moonburn is a real possibility.
     

See also

• rainburn