Halloween Idioms (With Meaning and Examples)

Welcome to our fun exploration of Halloween idioms! Just like costumes and candy are part of Halloween, idioms add flavor to our language. Even kids can understand these playful phrases that will make you think of ghosts, goblins, and all things spooky. Let’s dive into the world of words and learn some Halloween-themed expressions!

Halloween Idioms

Here are 20 Halloween idioms in English.

1. Ghost of a chance

Meaning: Very little possibility
Example: He has a ghost of a chance to win.

2. Skeleton in the closet

Meaning: A hidden and shocking secret
Example: Everyone has a skeleton in the closet.

3. Witching hour

Meaning: Late night when spooky things happen
Example: Strange noises occur at the witching hour.

4. Make one’s blood run cold

Meaning: To horrify someone
Example: That scream made my blood run cold.

5. Scared out of one’s wits

Meaning: Extremely frightened
Example: She was scared out of her wits.

6. Like a bat out of hell

Meaning: Moving very fast
Example: He ran like a bat out of hell.

7. Dig one’s own grave

Meaning: Cause one’s own downfall
Example: He’s digging his own grave with those lies.

8. Over my dead body

Meaning: Absolutely not; refuse to allow
Example: Over my dead body will you go there!

9. Dead ringer

Meaning: An exact duplicate
Example: She is a dead ringer for her mom.

10. A grave matter

Meaning: A very serious issue
Example: This is indeed a grave matter to discuss.

11. Bite the dust

Meaning: To fail or collapse
Example: His plans finally bit the dust.

12. Drop-dead gorgeous

Meaning: Extremely attractive
Example: That costume is drop-dead gorgeous.

13. Chill to the bone

Meaning: Very cold or frightened
Example: The wind chilled me to the bone.

14. Graveyard shift

Meaning: Work shift during the late night
Example: He works the graveyard shift at the hospital.

15. Spill one’s guts

Meaning: To confess or reveal secrets
Example: He finally spilled his guts to me.

16. Not have a ghost of an idea

Meaning: To have no clue
Example: I don’t have a ghost of an idea.

17. Jump out of one’s skin

Meaning: To be extremely startled
Example: I jumped out of my skin at the noise.

18. Save one’s skin

Meaning: To save oneself from harm
Example: He lied to save his own skin.

19. Casting spells

Meaning: To have a strong influence
Example: Her voice was casting spells on the audience.

20. Night to dismember

Meaning: A memorable, usually scary night
Example: It was a night to dismember with that storm.

Halloween Idioms