Monstrous Idioms
The celebrity was worried people would learn about the many skeletons in his closet.
skeleton in the closet: an embarrassing fact or scandal that someone wants to keep secret
My little brother is such a scaredy-cat, he's even afraid of Casper the Friendly Ghost!
scaredy-cat: someone who is easily frightened
After a day of school, then basketball practice, then homework, I'm dead on my feet.
dead on one's feet: exhausted
Will looks like he's just seen a ghost.
to look like one has seen a ghost: to look terrified, shocked, or pale from fright
Mr. Sanchez had no bones about telling the class, "You are going to fail this exam because you haven't been working hard."
to have no bones about (something): to have no hesitation saying or dealing with something, even if it is unpleasant or awkward
When I walk my dog at 5:00 am, my neighborhood seems like a ghost town.
ghost town: a quiet place where there are very few or no people
Jackson was scared stiff about giving a speech in front of the whole school.
scared stiff: very afraid or extremely anxious
Hector made a killing by selling his comic book collection online.
make a killing: to make a lot of money
I think it's mean that Lucia ghosted Tom.
to ghost someone: to ignore someone until they go away or stop trying to contact you, rather than directly expressing your disinterest
We need to bone up on our vocabulary for the Spanish quiz tomorrow.
to bone up on something: to study or learn about a subject, usually in preparation for something
When I think about people who are less fortunate than I am, the green-eyed monster doesn't bother me so much.
the green-eyed monster: jealousy or envy. (Bonus fact: The phrase comes from William Shakespeare's famous play Othello.)
That movie was so frightening, it made my blood run cold.
to make one's blood run cold: to terrify someone, make someone very afraid
I asked my older sister if I could borrow her new cell phone, but she said, "Over my dead body!"
over my dead body: used to express that you strongly oppose something or won’t allow it to happen
Laura thought vaping would help her relax, but it turned out to be Frankenstein's monster, making her addicted and eating up all her spending money.
Frankenstein's monster: something that harms or destroys someone and cannot be controlled; it can be something that at first seems positive or beneficial.
Patrick's dad said to him, "You're bone-idle, except when it comes to playing video games!"
bone-idle: extremely lazy
Unfortunately, nowadays a lot of people are the victims of witch hunts on social media.
witch hunt: the deliberate harassment or targeting of a person or people
I almost jumped out of my skin when that huge dog barked so loudly.
to jump out of one's skin: to be extremely startled or suddenly scared
Police officers, firefighters, and emergency room doctors often have to work graveyard shift.
graveyard shift: an overnight work shift
So many employees called in sick today that we have only a skeleton crew.
skeleton crew: minimum number of workers needed to run a business or work a shift
Tran and I always have a bone of contention about which movie to see because I love horror movies, and he prefers super hero films.
bone of contention: the subject of an argument, or an unsettled point of disagreement
When Luke heard the fire alarm go off, he ran out of the building like a bat out of hell.
like a bat out of hell: extremely fast, suddenly
I don't have a cat's chance in hell of passing my history test because I haven't done any of the reading!
to not have a cat's chance in hell: to have no hope of succeeding at something
If Tim keeps getting in fights at school, he's just digging his own grave.
digging one's own grave: doing something that will cause you harm or problems in the future
That weird look he has gives me the heebie-jeebies.
the heebie-jeebies: a feeling of fear or being very unsettled (Another idiom which means the same thing is "the creeps.")
I have a bone to pick with you; remember that ten dollars I loaned you two weeks ago?
to have a bone to pick with someone: to have a problem or issue to discuss—usually something that is bothering the person saying this