Are you expecting grim grinning ghosts to come
out to socialize tonight? With the Halloween mood fully ripe, let us go over some
interesting idiomatic expressions containing spooky words. 😉
1. witch
hunt: a situation where accusations are made freely, especially
against someone or something that is not popular with the majority
2. ghost
town: a once-flourishing town wholly or nearly deserted
usually as a result of the exhaustion of some natural resource
3. skeleton
staff: the minimum staff needed by a company during a time
where most staff do not normally work, such as a holiday, weekend, etc
4. skeleton(s)
in one’s closet / skeleton(s) in the cupboard: shameful
or embarrassing secret
5. to jinx
something: to bring bad luck
6. the
witching hour: midnight
7. boogeyman:
an
imaginary evil character of supernatural powers, especially a mythical
hobgoblin supposed to carry off naughty children.
8. to send
shiver down one’s spine: to make someone feel very frightened or
excited
9. like
a rat leaving the sinking ship: used to describe people who
leave a company, organization etc when it is in trouble
10.
to quake in one’s boots: to
be very nervous, frightened, and scared
Why don’t we use the above idioms in
sentences?
1.
When Paul’s wife said “Honey, we need to talk.”,
he was _________________ in his boots and thought his old mistake came back to
haunt him.
2.
Joe was a great kid who always listened to
his mom and dad, so there was no need for his parents to make up a story of a
_____________________ to discipline Joe.
3.
During the upcoming holiday, there will only
be ______________________ staff on duty here.
4.
Throughout 1950s in the States, Senator
Joseph McCarthy led a _________________ hunt against people suspected of being
communists.
5.
A: Hey, are you out of your mind? So, you’re
seriously fly solo in thunderstorm and lightning? I doubt you’ll make it to the
island in one piece.
B: Oh, c’mon! Don’t _______________ it!
I’ll be fine!
6.
Guess I’ve gotta go to bed now. It’s past the
______________ hour.
7.
The horror flick was way beyond what I had
expected! It had sent _______________ down my _____________ from beginning to
the end.
8.
Since most of the big or small stores and
shopping malls went out of business in that city, more and more people have started
to move out like a ___________ leaving the _______________________________. The
city has become a __________________ town now.
9.
Jackson doesn’t want his fiancé to find out
about his ________________ in the closet. He thought she might be disappointed
if she learned about his past mistakes.
Answer Keys
1. quaking
2. boogeyman
3. skeleton
4. witch
5. jinx
6. witching
7. shiver,
spine
8. rat,
sinking, ghost
9. skeletons
