Halloween is the one night of the year when it’s fine to be scared. English is full of spooky idioms, and the good news is you can use them all year round. Most of them have nothing to do with ghosts at all. You’ll hear them at work, in the pub and on the news.
Here are ten of our favourites, with what they mean and how people really use them. Then try the quiz at the bottom… if you dare.
10 Spooky English Idioms
1. A skeleton in the cupboard
Meaning: a secret from the past that would be embarrassing if people found out.
“Every family has a few skeletons in the cupboard.”
Full lesson: a skeleton in the cupboard (and why Americans keep theirs in the closet).
2. Speak of the devil
Meaning: said when the person you were just talking about suddenly turns up.
“Has anyone seen Tom today? Oh, speak of the devil, here he is!”
Full lesson: speak of the devil
3. Wouldn’t say boo to a goose
Meaning: very shy and quiet.
“Our new neighbour is lovely, but she wouldn’t say boo to a goose.”
Full lesson: wouldn’t say boo to a goose
4. Give someone the creeps
Meaning: make someone feel nervous or uncomfortable, often for no clear reason.
“That empty house at the end of the road gives me the creeps.”
Full lesson: give someone the creeps
5. Jump out of your skin
Meaning: get a sudden, big fright.
“The cat knocked a glass off the table and I nearly jumped out of my skin.”
Full lesson: jump out of your skin
6. Scared stiff
Meaning: so frightened you can’t move.
“I’m scared stiff of spiders. I can’t even look at them.”
You can use it for nerves too: “He was scared stiff before his driving test.”
7. Scare the living daylights out of someone
Meaning: frighten someone very badly.
“Don’t creep up on me like that! You scared the living daylights out of me.”
Brits often shorten it to “You scared the life out of me!”
8. Make your blood run cold
Meaning: fill you with horror or fear.
“The scream from the cellar made my blood run cold.”
This one is more common in stories and news reports than in everyday chat.
9. Over my dead body
Meaning: absolutely not. I will never let this happen.
“Can we get a pet snake?” “Over my dead body.”
Parents love this one.
10. A ghost town
Meaning: a place that is empty and quiet, where there used to be lots of people.
“Since the big shops closed, the high street is a ghost town.”
Full lesson: a ghost town (plus the famous song by The Specials).
What is an idiom?
An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally. An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words, but has a separate meaning of its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Popular spooky idioms include a skeleton in the cupboard, give someone the creeps, jump out of your skin, scared stiff, over my dead body and a ghost town.
Yes. Most of them are everyday English. People say “you scared the life out of me” or “over my dead body” all year round.
It means to frighten someone very badly. In British English people often shorten it to “scare the life out of someone”.
Test Yourself (If You Dare)
More Spooky English
Getting ready for the big night? Learn the words you need with our Halloween vocabulary lesson, then find out what Brits mean by the phrasal verb dress up.
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FunkyEnglish is a website that helps you improve your English. We offer quick lessons that teach idioms, slang, phrasal verbs and more. Visit our homepage to see our latest articles, or use the menu to find specific content!
