| Item |
Match |
Pronunciation |
Comments |
| creepy |
unsettling or scary |
/kri:pɪ/ |
|
| costume |
a make-believe outfit worn for fun at Halloween |
/kɒstju:m/ |
also DISGUISE or FANCY DRESS
|
| demon |
a devil |
/di:mən/ |
|
| scary |
something which is frightening |
/skeərɪ/ |
|
| corpse |
a dead body |
/kɔ:ps/ |
|
| ghoul |
a fictional flesh eating monster that is said to rob graves, according to folklore |
/gu:l/ |
|
| frightening |
scary |
/fraɪtnɪŋ/ |
|
| skeleton |
the hard inner frame of a person's or an animal's body, formed from bones that join together |
/skelətən/ |
|
| coffin |
a container for a dead body; generally made of wood and lined with silk with a hinged lid |
/kɒfɪn/ |
|
| howl |
a high pitched noise made by wolves and dogs |
/haʊl/ |
|
| blood |
red liquid running through veins of people and warm blooded creatures |
/blʌd/ |
|
| candle |
a wax cylinder with a wick in the middle that can be lit with a match to provide light |
/kændəl/ |
|
| magic |
the ability or power to make things happen by casting spells; performing tricks |
/mædʒɪk/ |
|
| devil |
an evil spirit |
/devɪl/ |
|
| warlock |
a male witch |
/wɔ:*lɒk/ |
|
| casket |
coffin |
/kɑ:skɪt/ |
|
| Jack O'Lantern |
a lantern carved from a pumpkin with a candle inside |
/dʒæk əlæntə*n/ |
|
| banshee |
an unhappy, wailing ghost which features in Irish and Scottish folklore. |
/bænʃi:/ |
Banshees are said to appear when somebody is about to die.
|
| tomb |
a place where a dead person has been buried |
/tu:m/ |
|
| grisly |
horrid, gruesome, bloody |
/grɪzlɪ/ |
|
| cape |
a long and voluminous outer garment, or cloak. Often worn by vampires. |
/keɪp/ |
|
| festival |
a celebration or special event |
/festɪvəl/ |
|
| to frighten |
to scare |
/tə fraɪtən/ |
|
| tombstone |
a large, upright stone placed at the head of a grave |
/tu:mstəʊn/ |
They often have information about the person who is buried in the grave carved into them, such as their date of birth, when they died or another information about their life.
|
| boo! |
a word which is sometimes used to frighten people when playing tricks |
/bu:/ |
|
| spell |
a magic rite cast by witches |
/spel/ |
|
| shock |
fright |
/fraɪt/ |
|
| trick or treat |
What children say when they come to your door asking for sweets/candies |
/trɪk ə tri:t/ |
Children dress up in costumes and visit people's houses in search of sweets (British English) or candies (American English). They knock on the door and say "trick or treat", and they are given sweets. The idea is that if you don't TREAT them, they will TRICK you instead (to trick: to do something bad to you).
|
| bag |
a container for candy/sweets used by kids who dress up in customes to carry the sweets they collect |
/bæg/ |
|
| pumpkin |
an orange vegetable which is often carved and hollowed out to make Halloween lanterns |
/pʌmkɪn/ |
|
| Grim Reaper |
the name traditionally used to symbolise Death |
/grɪm ri:pə*/ |
In European folklore, Death is usually depicted as a skeleton in a long black cloak, carrying a scythe.
|
| black cat |
They are said to bring good luck in parts of the UK and Ireland. |
/blæk kæt/ |
According to folklore, black cats are said to have supernatural powers and witches often keep them as pets.
In most places, though, black cats are supposed to be unlucky (because they are associated to witches)
|
| monster |
a fearful, horrid imaginary creature |
/mɒnstə*/ |
|
| disguise |
a costume, often worn for fun at Halloween parties by adults and children alike |
/dɪsgaɪs/ |
also: FANCY DRESS
|
| bloodcurdling |
a chilling, scary sound often used to describe screems. Terrifying. |
/blʌd kɜ:*dlɪŋ/ |
|
| fiend |
a monster or demon |
/fi:nd/ |
also an old word for ENEMY
|
| phantom |
a ghostly apparition |
/fæntəm/ |
|
| skull |
the bony part of the head, attached to a person's skeleton |
/skʌl/ |
|
| nightmare |
a scary bad dream |
/naɪtmeə*/ |
|
| Wicca |
a modern pagan witchcraft religion |
/wɪkə/ |
Wicca is a pagan religion born in 20th century England though they claim to feed on old traditions in an effort to gain some credibility. It is a religion centred upon the idea of gender polarity and the worship of two deities: Moon Goddess and Horned God.
|
| cloak |
an outer garment or cape |
/kləʊk/ |
vampires wear a long black clock on their backs, often with a red lining
|
| wicked |
bad or evil |
/wɪkɪd/ |
|
| candy |
sweet treats given to children at Halloween |
/kændɪ/ |
used in American English. In British English the word is SWEET
|
| witchcraft |
magic practised by witches |
/wɪtʃkrɑ:ft/ |
|
| lantern |
a type of lamp |
/læntə*n/ |
|
| graveyard |
a place where dead people are buried |
/greɪv jɑ:*d/ |
Also called CEMETERY
|
| evil |
malicious, bad, ill intentioned |
/i:vəl/ |
|
| werewolf |
a person who turns into a wolf whenever there is a full moon |
/weəwʊlf/ |
According to folklore, if a person is bitten by a werewolf, then they become a werewolf too.
|
| sweets |
sugary treats given to children at Halloween |
/swi:ts/ |
in American English the word used is CANDIES
|
| spider |
an insect with eight legs that spins webs |
/spaɪdə*/ |
|
| black |
the darkest colour and the colour of the night. |
/blæk/ |
|
| fangs |
sharp, pointy upper front teeth, designed for piercing flesh |
/fæŋgz/ |
for example, vampires have two fangs to bite people on their necks and suck blood
|
| vampire |
an undead creature who sleeps in a coffin by day and ventures out at night to drink people's blood |
/væmpaɪə*/ |
|
| bogeyman |
a fictional scary person used to frighten children who misbehave |
/bʊgɪmæn/ |
This monster has no specific appearance in the mind of an adult or child, but is simply a non-specific embodiment of terror.
|
| ghost |
undead spirit that haunts houses |
/gəʊst/ |
|
| zombie |
a living dead (and a man-eating creature) |
/zɒmbɪ/ |
|
| to scare |
to frighten a person or animal |
/tə skeə*/ |
|
| wraith |
a Scottish word that means ghost |
/reɪθ/ |
|
| cauldron |
a cooking pot used by witches to brew spells |
/kɔ:ldrən/ |
|
| shadow |
a dark shape cast by an object positioned between a surface and a source of light |
/ʃædəʊ/ |
|
| treat |
a fun and unexpected surprise designed to please someone |
/tri:t/ |
|
| trick |
a practical joke |
/trɪk/ |
|
| cemetery |
a place where dead people are buried |
/semətrɪ/ |
also: GRAVEYARD
|
| prank |
a trick or practical joke |
/præŋk/ |
|
| gory |
bloody, macabre |
/gɔ:rɪ/ |
|
| horror |
shock or fright |
/hɒrə*/ |
Horror films are very popular and are often shown on television at Halloween
|
| grave |
a burial space for a coffin in a cemetery |
/greɪv/ |
Also: TOMB
|
| scythe |
a long, sharp and curved blade |
/saɪð/ |
|
| ghostly |
having an appearance or nature similar to a ghost |
/gəʊstlɪ/ |
|
| bones |
hard pieces of a person's or animal's skeleton |
/bəʊnz/ |
|
| bat |
a small flying mammal, with leathery wings |
/bæt/ |
According to legend, vampires are said to be able to turn into bats.
|
| apparition |
A transparent, ghostly figure |
/æpərɪʃən/ |
|
| spooky |
midly scary though often in a fun way |
/spu:kɪ/ |
|
| mummy |
a dead person who was buried wrapped in bandages |
/mʌmɪ/ |
based on the Egyptian mummies wrapped in bandages inside a sarcophagus.
|
| haunted |
a place frequented by ghosts or other spirits of the death |
/hɔ:ntɪd/ |
|
| gruesome |
repellent, horrible, bloody, macabre |
/gru:səm/ |
|
| spirits |
the ghosts of dead people |
/spɪrɪts/ |
|
| mausoleum |
an ornate, stone cemetery building, built to house the coffins of rich or famouse people |
/mɔ:səlɪəm/ |
Also for members of the same family.
|
| wand |
a stick used for casting magic spells |
/wɒnd/ |
|
| All Hallows Eve |
Another name for Halloween |
/ɔ:l hæləʊz i:v/ |
|
| witch |
a woman believed to have evil magical powers |
/wɪtʃ/ |
|
| goblin |
a small, ugly, mischevious creature with a reputation for causing trouble |
/gɒblɪn/ |
|
| moon |
large, round satellite that revolves around The Earth which can be seen in the sky at night |
/mu:n/ |
|
| broom |
a type of brush with a long wooden handle used by witches to fly, according to legend |
/brʊm/ |
Also broomstick
|
| web |
spiders spin these to catch flies |
/web/ |
|
