Halloween Idioms

By Rachel Rowland ( ABC School’s Academic Coordinator ) Halloween is certainly the spookiest time of the year and as a part of the Halloween festivities, many people dress up as ghosts, witches and goblins, ready to scare their friends, family and neighbours! During the month of October, new scary movies will be released at the cinema, ghoulish faces will be carved into pumpkins and some people may even think more than usual about their loved ones who have passed away. People certainly do tend to focus on the supernatural during this time. In addition, people may use Halloween related terminology more often within their daily lives. By this, I mean spooky idioms and phrases that have been buried all year…until now! Let’s look at some of these idioms and find out what they actually mean.

Dig your own grave This idiom means that if you do something silly or reckless then you should expect negative consequences. For example, if you don’t turn in your homework, you could be digging your own grave. Your teacher may be really upset with you and you will certainly not get a decent mark. This idiom is usually used by other people to comment on the actions of others. For example, imagine you tell a colleague that you are going to call in sick tomorrow at work during a time when your boss is already unhappy with you. Your colleague might say to you “If you do that, you’ll be digging yourown grave!” What they mean is, you probably should think twice about calling in sick because the consequences will probably not be worth the extra day off!

Like a bat out of hell This idiom is very well-known and has even been used as the title of a top-selling album and number one single by the rock band Meat Loaf. But what does it mean? This idiom is used to describe something that happens very quickly. For example, “He ran out of the house like a bat out of hell after seeing a ghost.” Over my dead body If you say something will happen over your dead body, you mean that you will do everything you can to prevent it from happening. For example, “You think I will give you the keys to my car? Over my dead body!” The origin of this phrase is unknown but has been in general use since the 1800s. This phrase is a hyperbole, which means that it is exaggerated for effect but it is not supposed to be taken seriously!

Skeleton in the closet This idiom refers to a secret that someone is hiding and if the secret is revealed, it could cause embarrassment for the person in some way. Last year, people started to suspect that Mr. Brown had a skeleton in the closet because he started to wear his wife’s clothes to the shops. The phrase was in use in England in the early 1800s and of course, like all idioms, the expression should not be taken literally. As you can see, there are many bizarre phrases and idioms in the English language, which if taken literally, make no sense at all. Many of these phrases have been in use for hundreds of years and form an important part of English communication and it is actually impossible to avoid idiomatic language altogether. By learning more of these phrases, you will maximise your understanding of the language which will build your confidence as English speakers.