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What "at certain phases of the moon" Means, is this a slang:

Jesus: The whole point of going into the desert is not eating bread. If I wanted bread I'd go to a shop. As for throwing yourself off a mountain and letting the angels catch you … Does that sound tempting? Or am I missing something?

Kay: Throwing yourself off a mountain and actually hitting the ground. That sounds tempting. You know, at certain phases of the moon.

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    What is the source of the quote. You must always say exactly where you read a certain text, and link to it if you can.
    – James K
    Aug 30, 2019 at 22:04

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"At certain phases of the moon" is technically equivalent to saying "at certain times of the month." As a lunar month progresses, the moon changes phase - from full, to waning, to a new moon, to waxing and back to full again. So, Kay is saying "there are some times in a month where I'm tempted to commit suicide." The use specifically of the moon here ties the statement more firmly to mental health - it has long been believed that various phases of the moon can have an effect on mental health. A full moon was believed to cause madness - hence the word lunacy. By specifically referring to the moon, Kay is alluding to the fact that it used to be believed that the full moon could cause madness or depression, and that might explain a reason why suicide would be tempting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_phase

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunatic

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  • +1 It would be helpful if we had some more context. I imagine it's possible that this is an attempt at morbid humor and a learner might not pick up on that so easily.
    – Em.
    Sep 22, 2019 at 9:27

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