5 Halloween Words You Can Use All Year Round

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When you think of Halloween, what images come to your mind? Pumpkins and costume parties? Or perhaps candy and trick-or-treating?

Although you can see people dressed like princesses and superheroes around October 31, the original images of Halloween are much spookier. Think of things like ghosts, skeletons, witches and spiders.

But the Halloween season isn't the only time we talk about these topics; many of these scary ideas are part of the English people use every day.

This time, let's take a look at common English idioms related to the dark topics often connected with Halloween.

Skeletons in one’s closet

A skeleton surrounded by clothes in a closet

This refers to something from someone's past that they want to keep secret.

The politician could lose the election if the public found out about the skeletons in his closet.

Come back to haunt you

"Haunt" is a verb we use to refer to ghosts who regularly appear in a certain place. However, just like spirits that will not go away, it can also refer to something that returns and causes problems for someone.

This idiom can be used for things like memories and emotions, or for people or events from the past.

The decision to use cheap materials instead of stronger ones might come back to haunt them in the future.

Nail in the coffin

"Coffins" are long boxes that dead bodies are placed inside of before being put into the ground. A "nail in the coffin" is an event or action that causes something to fail or end.

Many people think the debate with Donald Trump was the nail in the coffin that ended Joe Biden's second run for presidency.

Dig one’s own grave

A "grave" is a place in the ground where you can find the coffins we mentioned above.

The expression "digging one's own grave" means doing something that will cause problems in the future. It's another way of saying that someone is harming themself.

Cheating is helping him to succeed now, but he's really just digging his own grave.

(Work) the graveyard shift

Pumpkins of various sizes with lights and Halloween-themed designs

A "graveyard" is a field where the bodies of dead people are buried. The "graveyard shift" is another name for the overnight shift, when workers start working very late at night and end in the morning.

I'm drinking all of this coffee now because I work the graveyard shift tonight.

Ghost town

Have you ever been to a place with very little activity and almost no people? These empty, quiet areas often give us a creepy, unpleasant feeling. We call these places "ghost towns."

When online shopping became common, many shopping malls became ghost towns.

Make one’s blood boil

If your blood is boiling, it means you are extremely angry!

It really made my blood boil to find out that he wasn't punished for his crimes.

Look like you’ve seen a ghost

A small dog with a surprised and scared expression

This idiom is often said to someone who is so shocked or surprised that they have trouble speaking.

What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost!

Scared stiff

Something that is "stiff" is hard and unable to bend easily. So if you are "scared stiff," you are so scared that you cannot move!

We were all scared stiff when we heard the strange noises coming from upstairs.

Like a bat out of hell

Bats are the small flying animals that are often associated with vampires. If something is moving "like a bat out of hell," it is moving very quickly.

The cat ran out of the house like a bat out of hell when it saw the big dog.

Roll over in one’s grave

This strange idiom refers to the idea that something would cause a dead person to be very angry or upset.

The original designers of this house would roll over in their graves if they knew how much its current owners have changed it.

Wrap-up

English has many unique and interesting idioms, but it may be challenging to try and memorize them all at once. However, if you focus on a specific theme, you'll be surprised at how much you can learn!

Remember: The expressions we've covered this time can be used any time of the year. So don't wait for Halloween to give them a try in your conversations!