As the witching hour of Halloween approaches, it seems fitting to make spooky sayings and phrases the next topic in my series about idioms in the English language.
I hadn’t realised quite how many spooky sayings we use in everyday conversation – from ghosts, witches and skeletons to bats, cats, rats and owls. I guess it’s an indication of what a superstitious bunch we are – or used to be…
Spooky sayings explained
Bats in the belfry = crazy or eccentric
Blood is thicker than water = family bonds are closer than those of outsiders
Dead ringer = an exact duplicate
Ghost town = a once thriving town that’s been completely abandoned
Give up the ghost = die or, in the case of inanimate objects, cease working
Graveyard shift = a late-night/early-morning shift at work
Heebie jeebies = feeling of anxiety or apprehension
In cold blood = do something intentionally and without showing any emotion
Look like you’ve seen a ghost = suddenly go completely pale as if you’ve just had a shock
Make no bones about = state a fact in such a way that it allows no doubt; have no objection
Make one’s blood boil = feel really angry
Make one’s blood run cold = feel really scared
Moaning Minnie = a habitual grumbler
Night owl = a person who’s most active at night-time (like nocturnal creatures)
Not a cat in hell’s chance = no hope at all (this was originally “No more chance than a cat in hell without claws” referring to the difficulty of fighting a battle with inadequate weapons)
Scared stiff = so frightened you can’t move
Scare the pants off someone = frighten someone a lot
Skeleton in the cupboard/closet = keep a shameful secret that could be potentially ruinous if exposed
Skeleton staff = minimum number of people required to do a job
Smell a rat = suspect that something is wrong; be suspicious about something
Spirit away = remove something or someone in a mysterious manner
Witch hunt = investigation to ‘out’ those who are disloyal or have differing views (this expression harks back to the Middle Ages when thousands of women were persecuted and killed because they were believed to be witches)
Wouldn’t say ‘boo’ to a goose = used to describe someone who is very shy and timid
Happy Halloween… Be afraid, be very afraid!
(Image courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
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