By Sergio Viula
Throughout September, I posted one or more short videos per day with idioms related to Halloween to a certain extent. Thirty-five idioms were published. You will find them all in the video below. Keep in mind that if you incorporate them to your speech, you'll sound a lot more fluent. Give them a go and happy Halloween!
Find below some idioms that were addressed in the video as well as some others that weren't. Help yourself! 😋
Skeleton in the closet
Meaning: A hidden and potentially embarrassing or shameful secret.
Example: "Everyone has a skeleton in their closet, but it’s how you handle it that matters."
Ghost of a chance
Meaning: Little or no possibility of something happening.
Example: "I don’t have a ghost of a chance of finishing this project on time."
Stab in the dark
Meaning: A wild guess with no certainty.
Example: "I’m not sure about the answer, but I’ll take a stab in the dark."
Witch hunt
Meaning: An attempt to find and punish people whose opinions are unpopular or who are accused of doing something without proper evidence.
Example: "The investigation turned into a witch hunt, with everyone being accused."
Devil’s advocate
Meaning: Someone who argues against a point, just for the sake of debate, even if they do not truly disagree with it.
Example: "I’ll play devil’s advocate for a moment, but I do agree with your idea."
Spooked
Meaning: Frightened or scared suddenly.
Example: "The sound of footsteps behind me really spooked me on my way home."
Scare the living daylights out of someone
Meaning: To scare someone severely.
Example: "That horror movie scared the living daylights out of me!"
Bite the dust
Meaning: To die or to fail completely.
Example: "Another project bites the dust due to budget cuts."
Over my dead body
Meaning: Used to say that something will not happen unless you are dead and unable to stop it.
Example: "You’re not going to drop out of school—over my dead body!"
Come back to haunt you
Meaning: A past mistake or decision that causes problems in the present or future.
Example: "Her poor choices in college came back to haunt her when she couldn’t get a job."
Jekyll and Hyde
Meaning: A person who has a dual personality, with both good and evil sides.
Example: "My boss is like Jekyll and Hyde—sometimes he's nice, but other times he's impossible to deal with."
Blood runs cold
Meaning: To feel extreme fear or shock.
Example: "When I heard the eerie whisper, my blood ran cold."
Dig one’s own grave
Meaning: To cause one’s own failure or ruin.
Example: "By lying to his boss, he’s digging his own grave."
Nightmare
Meaning: A very frightening or unpleasant situation.
Example: "That traffic was a complete nightmare this morning."
Bury the hatchet
Meaning: To stop a conflict and make peace.
Example: "After years of arguing, they finally decided to bury the hatchet."
Jump out of your skin
Meaning: To be extremely startled or frightened.
Example: "I nearly jumped out of my skin when the door slammed shut on its own."
In cold blood
Meaning: To do something (especially violent or cruel) without emotion or remorse.
Example: "The crime was committed in cold blood."
Caught in the web
Meaning: To become involved in a complicated or tricky situation.
Example: "She was caught in the web of lies her friend had created."
Pitch-black
Meaning: Extremely dark, with no light at all.
Example: "It was pitch-black outside when the power went out."
Witching hour
Meaning: The time late at night when supernatural events are believed to occur, often around midnight.
Example: "During the witching hour, the wind howled, making the house creak eerily."
As pale as a ghost
Meaning: To look very pale, usually due to fear, illness, or shock.
Example: "After seeing the accident, she went as pale as a ghost."
Bat out of hell
Meaning: To move very quickly and recklessly.
Example: "He drove out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell."
Graveyard shift
Meaning: Working late at night, typically the overnight hours.
Example: "She’s exhausted after working the graveyard shift all week."
Fear of the unknown
Meaning: Fear of things that are unfamiliar or uncertain.
Example: "Moving to a new city brings a lot of excitement, but also a fear of the unknown."
Stick a stake through the heart
Meaning: To put an end to something completely.
Example: "The new evidence stuck a stake through the heart of the investigation."
Like a moth to a flame
Meaning: To be attracted to something or someone in a way that can be dangerous.
Example: "He kept going back to the risky business, like a moth to a flame."
Drop-dead gorgeous
Meaning: Extremely beautiful.
Example: "She walked into the room looking drop-dead gorgeous."
Raise the dead
Meaning: To make a lot of noise, as if to wake the dead.
Example: "The party was so loud it could have raised the dead."
A fate worse than death
Meaning: A situation that is considered more unpleasant or dreadful than dying.
Example: "For her, losing her job felt like a fate worse than death."
Haunt one’s dreams
Meaning: When something or someone keeps troubling your thoughts or dreams.
Example: "The mistakes of the past continue to haunt his dreams."
The writing on the wall
Meaning: A clear sign or warning that something (usually bad) will happen soon.
Example: "The company’s financial problems were the writing on the wall for its eventual closure."
Dance with the devil
Meaning: To take a dangerous risk or get involved with something potentially harmful.
Example: "By agreeing to that shady deal, he's dancing with the devil."
Black magic
Meaning: The use of supernatural powers for evil purposes.
Example: "In the story, the villain used black magic to curse the village."
The heebie-jeebies
Meaning: A feeling of extreme discomfort or fear.
Example: "That old abandoned house gives me the heebie-jeebies every time I walk past."
Devilish grin
Meaning: A mischievous or evil-looking smile.
Example: "He had a devilish grin on his face after pulling the prank."
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