Do you have skeleton in the closet? Have you ever a part of a witch hunt? Perhaps you don’t have a ghost of a chance at understanding what this all means. Well, bite the bullet and be in the dark no more!
Not sure what I just said? Well, let me welcome you to the Halloween edition of English Makes No Sense! The podcast where we have fun with the English language one lesson at a time. My name is SL Rockfish and today we are going to examine, learn and practice how to use these 5 Halloween idioms. Come on, bite the bullet and join me!
Idiom: Bite the Bullet
Bite the bullet? What does that mean? Great question. Bite the bullet is an idiom used for facing a difficult or unpleasant situation with courage.
For example: “I didn’t want to have to clean up the yard after the storm, but I had to bite the bullet and get it done!”
When have you ever had to bite the bullet?
Let me give you another example: Bill didn’t want to look for a new job, but he had to bite the bullet and make a resume!
Got it? Awesome!
Idiom: Skeleton in the Closet
Do you have a skeleton in your closet? Wait? Sarah, I only have clothes in my closet! No worries, I am not talking about a real skeleton! No, no my friend, a skeleton in your closet means you have something to hide. Or you have an embarrassing truth you don’t want to have made public or known.
For example: The politician tried to hide the skeletons in his closet, before the race.
The skeletons in Bill’s closet may ruin his relationship with his girlfriend! Oh no, poor Bill!
Now, do you have a skeleton in your closet? If you do, I hope it stays there!
Idiom: A witch hunt
Have you ever been part of a witch hunt? A witch hunt? Don’t believe in witches? Not a fan of hunting? That’s okay, you don’t have to do either. You don’t need to believe in witches or have a love of hunting to be part of a witch hunt. What’s a witch hunt? The idiom, a witch hunt is a campaign or effort against a person or a particular group, often with the objective of righting a perceived wrong! What? Let me break it down a little better. A witch hunt is an attempt to find and punish people whose ideas or opinions are said to be unpopular or dangerous to society. With the advancement of social media, witch hunts are much more popular and fast moving.
For example, “The meeting turned out to be a witch hunt against the author of the controversial book.
Or there was a witch hunt against all who supported the former mayor, no one would hire them.
I hope you are never a part of or the recipient of a witch hunt. They can really be scary!
I hope you are no longer in the dark about what a witch hunt is!
Idiom: In the dark
In the dark is our fifth and final idiom. Did you know you can have all of the lights on in your home and still be in the dark? I bet I know what you are asking yourself,”How Sarah, that makes no sense.” Oh, yes it does my friend.
The idiom in the dark means to be unaware or uninformed about something. For example: “The president’s wife was in the dark about his affair.” Or “Bill was in the dark when I asked him about what was going on at work.” In both of these sentences the subject has no idea what is going on, they are uninformed. The president’s wife is unaware of the affair and Bill, well Bill is unaware about what is happening at work. Poor Bill, I think I may pick on him a bit. What do you think?
Idiom: Ghost of a Chance:
Our fifth and final idiom is a ghost of a chance. A ghost of a chance has very little to do with ghosts. A ghost of a chance is an unlikely or almost impossible chance of success.
You will often hear it used in the negative with the word don’t or doesn’t. For example: “Our team doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance at beating the national champions. ” Translation, “Our team has no chance at all!” Or, Bill doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance at winning the lottery, but he continues to play. Poor Bill, he has no chance at all.
Have you ever felt like you didn’t stand a ghost of a chance?
Hmm?
Wrap Up:
There you have it my friends, five idioms that have a slight connection to Halloween. Let’s review by seeing if you can understand this verse:
If you have a skeleton in your closet,
You may want to bite the bullet
and tell someone, before it is too late!
If you keep them in the dark,
You may be on the wrong end
Of a witch hunt!
And then you won’t stand
A ghost of a chance at surviving !
What, Come on English!
Conclusion
Did you understand it? Let me translate it for you:
If you have a secret you don’t want to get out,
Or are afraid it might get out
Then just bite the bullet, (get it out)
If you keep people uninformed
They may come after you when they hear it!
Then you have no chance at surviving!
My name is SL Rockfish, thanks for joining me. If you would like to see more of English Makes No Sense join me on TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, all @ English Makes No Sense.
And remember, do something fun, do something amazing or you know, do nothing at all. But, whatever you do, have a great day! Peace friends!
Here’s a handy resource for you:
- Skeleton in the closet: Refers to a hidden or secret problem or embarrassing truth.
- Witch hunt: A campaign against a particular group, often with the aim of exposing and punishing perceived wrongdoers.
- Ghost of a chance: An unlikely or almost impossible chance of success.
- Bite the bullet: To face a difficult or unpleasant situation with courage.
- In the dark: Uninformed or unaware of something.
