Ah, Halloween — that glorious time of year when pumpkins grin, ghosts roam, and even the grumpiest Brits start hanging cobwebs in their living rooms.
Whether you’re in Britain, the USA, or anywhere else that enjoys a bit of seasonal silliness, it’s a perfect excuse to brush up on some frightfully good English.
This isn’t just about pumpkins and fancy dress — it’s about sounding confident, natural, and just a little spooky when you chat with native speakers. So, grab your broomstick, turn down the lights, and let’s summon some hauntingly useful Halloween vocabulary and idioms.
🎃 Key Halloween Vocabulary
These are the essential nouns and adjectives you’ll need for talking about the day:
Costume / Fancy Dress
The clothes you wear to look like a character.
Jack-o’-lantern
A pumpkin with a scary face carved into it, usually with a candle inside.
Treats
Sweet things like chocolate or candy given to children.
Haunted
Describes a place where ghosts are believed to live.
Spooky
Causing nervousness or fear in a fun, exciting way.
Superstition
A belief in magic or luck, often based on old traditions.
Cemetery / Graveyard
A place where dead people are buried.
Eerie
Strange and frightening, often used for sounds or atmospheres.
👻 Express Yourself: Scary Idioms
We Brits love an idiom, and Halloween gives us some cracking ones. These can be used all year round, so they’re really worth learning.
Have skeletons in the closet
Have an embarrassing secret from the past.
The politician lost the election when the press discovered he had skeletons in the closet about his finances.
Scared stiff
Be so frightened you cannot move.
When I saw the shadow move across the window, I was scared stiff.
Make someone’s blood run cold
Fill someone with intense fear or horror.
The terrifying sound coming from the basement made my blood run cold.
Dig your own grave
Do something that will cause you future trouble.
If you keep lying to your clients, you are simply digging your own grave.
Over my dead body
Very strong refusal; you will prevent it.
You want to borrow my brand new phone for a week? Over my dead body!
Like a ghost town
A place that is deserted or quiet.
The university campus is like a ghost town during the summer holidays.
A ghost of a chance
Almost no chance at all.
You’ve not got a ghost of a chance of beating my zombie costume.
Scaredy-cat
Someone who gets frightened easily.
Don’t be such a scaredy-cat — it’s just a plastic spider!
A dead ringer
Someone who looks exactly like another person.
You’re a dead ringer for Dracula in that outfit!
Give up the ghost
Stop working, die, or give up completely.
My phone finally gave up the ghost last night — just in time for Halloween.
🗣 Conversational Phrases
What are you dressing up as this year?
Asking about someone’s costume plans.
I’m not easily spooked.
Saying you are not easily frightened.
That gave me the chills!
Used when something is slightly frightening or exciting.
It’s just a bit of fun.
Downplaying the seriousness of the celebrations.
Are you having a trick or treat night?
Asking if someone is taking part in the main activity.
I reckon that’s enough to get you through any Halloween party or conversation. Which of these spooky idioms are you most excited to try out?