Ever wondered about the darker side of language? In this post, we’ll explore 20 dark idioms that sound mysterious but are used quite often. These phrases will be easy to understand and each comes with a simple explanation and an example. Ready to dive into the shadowy parts of English? Let’s go!
Dark Idioms
Here are 20 dark idioms in English with meaning and example sentence for each.
1. A skeleton in the closet
Meaning: A hidden secret
Example: He keeps his past as a skeleton in the closet.
2. Bury the hatchet
Meaning: Make peace
Example: They decided to bury the hatchet.
3. Dig one’s own grave
Meaning: Cause one’s own downfall
Example: He dug his own grave by lying at work.
4. Over my dead body
Meaning: Absolutely not
Example: Over my dead body will you drop out!
5. Dead as a doornail
Meaning: Completely dead
Example: That old car is dead as a doornail.
6. Kill two birds with one stone
Meaning: Solve two problems at once
Example: She killed two birds with one stone.
7. Smell a rat
Meaning: Suspect foul play
Example: I smell a rat in this deal.
8. In the dead of night
Meaning: Very late at night
Example: He arrived in the dead of night.
9. Blood is thicker than water
Meaning: Family first
Example: Indeed, blood is thicker than water.
10. Cut to the quick
Meaning: Deeply hurt
Example: His words cut her to the quick.
11. Dead ringer
Meaning: Exact duplicate
Example: He is a dead ringer for his brother.
12. Flogging a dead horse
Meaning: Wasting time on something useless
Example: Stop flogging a dead horse.
13. At death’s door
Meaning: Very ill or near death
Example: He was at death’s door last night.
14. Ghost of a chance
Meaning: Little or no chance
Example: There’s a ghost of a chance here.
15. Graveyard shift
Meaning: Overnight work period
Example: He works the graveyard shift.
16. Witching hour
Meaning: Late night when eerie things occur
Example: It’s almost the witching hour.
17. Black sheep
Meaning: An outcast
Example: He’s the black sheep of the family.
18. Drop dead gorgeous
Meaning: Extremely attractive
Example: She is drop dead gorgeous.
19. Skeleton crew
Meaning: Minimum staff
Example: Only a skeleton crew worked overnight.
20. Like a bat out of hell
Meaning: Very quickly
Example: He ran like a bat out of hell.
