| Item |
Match |
Pronunciation |
Comments |
| costume |
a make-believe outfit worn for fun at Halloween |
/kɒstju:m/ |
also DISGUISE or FANCY DRESS
|
| boo! |
a word which is sometimes used to frighten people when playing tricks |
/bu:/ |
|
| skeleton |
the hard inner frame of a person's or an animal's body, formed from bones that join together |
/skelətən/ |
|
| frightening |
scary |
/fraɪtnɪŋ/ |
|
| mummy |
a dead person who was buried wrapped in bandages |
/mʌmɪ/ |
based on the Egyptian mummies wrapped in bandages inside a sarcophagus.
|
| devil |
an evil spirit |
/devɪl/ |
|
| banshee |
an unhappy, wailing ghost which features in Irish and Scottish folklore. |
/bænʃi:/ |
Banshees are said to appear when somebody is about to die.
|
| bat |
a small flying mammal, with leathery wings |
/bæt/ |
According to legend, vampires are said to be able to turn into bats.
|
| blood |
red liquid running through veins of people and warm blooded creatures |
/blʌd/ |
|
| creepy |
unsettling or scary |
/kri:pɪ/ |
|
| gruesome |
repellent, horrible, bloody, macabre |
/gru:səm/ |
|
| wand |
a stick used for casting magic spells |
/wɒnd/ |
|
| to scare |
to frighten a person or animal |
/tə skeə*/ |
|
| horror |
shock or fright |
/hɒrə*/ |
Horror films are very popular and are often shown on television at Halloween
|
| black |
the darkest colour and the colour of the night. |
/blæk/ |
|
| wraith |
a Scottish word that means ghost |
/reɪθ/ |
|
| howl |
a high pitched noise made by wolves and dogs |
/haʊl/ |
|
| witchcraft |
magic practised by witches |
/wɪtʃkrɑ:ft/ |
|
| trick |
a practical joke |
/trɪk/ |
|
| fiend |
a monster or demon |
/fi:nd/ |
also an old word for ENEMY
|
| graveyard |
a place where dead people are buried |
/greɪv jɑ:*d/ |
Also called CEMETERY
|
| spell |
a magic rite cast by witches |
/spel/ |
|
| cloak |
an outer garment or cape |
/kləʊk/ |
vampires wear a long black clock on their backs, often with a red lining
|
| magic |
the ability or power to make things happen by casting spells; performing tricks |
/mædʒɪk/ |
|
| 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.
|
| to frighten |
to scare |
/tə fraɪtən/ |
|
| wicked |
bad or evil |
/wɪkɪd/ |
|
| disguise |
a costume, often worn for fun at Halloween parties by adults and children alike |
/dɪsgaɪs/ |
also: FANCY DRESS
|
| zombie |
a living dead (and a man-eating creature) |
/zɒmbɪ/ |
|
| pumpkin |
an orange vegetable which is often carved and hollowed out to make Halloween lanterns |
/pʌmkɪn/ |
|
| tomb |
a place where a dead person has been buried |
/tu:m/ |
|
| candle |
a wax cylinder with a wick in the middle that can be lit with a match to provide light |
/kændəl/ |
|
| bloodcurdling |
a chilling, scary sound often used to describe screems. Terrifying. |
/blʌd kɜ:*dlɪŋ/ |
|
| 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).
|
| bones |
hard pieces of a person's or animal's skeleton |
/bəʊnz/ |
|
| Jack O'Lantern |
a lantern carved from a pumpkin with a candle inside |
/dʒæk əlæntə*n/ |
|
| 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.
|
| 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*/ |
|
| 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.
|
| evil |
malicious, bad, ill intentioned |
/i:vəl/ |
|
| gory |
bloody, macabre |
/gɔ:rɪ/ |
|
| nightmare |
a scary bad dream |
/naɪtmeə*/ |
|
| cauldron |
a cooking pot used by witches to brew spells |
/kɔ:ldrən/ |
|
| grave |
a burial space for a coffin in a cemetery |
/greɪv/ |
Also: TOMB
|
| cemetery |
a place where dead people are buried |
/semətrɪ/ |
also: GRAVEYARD
|
| corpse |
a dead body |
/kɔ:ps/ |
|
| spirits |
the ghosts of dead people |
/spɪrɪts/ |
|
| festival |
a celebration or special event |
/festɪvəl/ |
|
| warlock |
a male witch |
/wɔ:*lɒk/ |
|
| 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
|
| witch |
a woman believed to have evil magical powers |
/wɪtʃ/ |
|
| shock |
fright |
/fraɪt/ |
|
| spooky |
midly scary though often in a fun way |
/spu:kɪ/ |
|
| All Hallows Eve |
Another name for Halloween |
/ɔ:l hæləʊz i:v/ |
|
| broom |
a type of brush with a long wooden handle used by witches to fly, according to legend |
/brʊm/ |
Also broomstick
|
| demon |
a devil |
/di:mən/ |
|
| vampire |
an undead creature who sleeps in a coffin by day and ventures out at night to drink people's blood |
/væmpaɪə*/ |
|
| coffin |
a container for a dead body; generally made of wood and lined with silk with a hinged lid |
/kɒfɪn/ |
|
| ghoul |
a fictional flesh eating monster that is said to rob graves, according to folklore |
/gu:l/ |
|
| 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.
|
| skull |
the bony part of the head, attached to a person's skeleton |
/skʌl/ |
|
| phantom |
a ghostly apparition |
/fæntəm/ |
|
| 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.
|
| goblin |
a small, ugly, mischevious creature with a reputation for causing trouble |
/gɒblɪn/ |
|
| 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.
|
| casket |
coffin |
/kɑ:skɪt/ |
|
| lantern |
a type of lamp |
/læntə*n/ |
|
| 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)
|
| cape |
a long and voluminous outer garment, or cloak. Often worn by vampires. |
/keɪp/ |
|
| monster |
a fearful, horrid imaginary creature |
/mɒnstə*/ |
|
| shadow |
a dark shape cast by an object positioned between a surface and a source of light |
/ʃædəʊ/ |
|
| bag |
a container for candy/sweets used by kids who dress up in customes to carry the sweets they collect |
/bæg/ |
|
| treat |
a fun and unexpected surprise designed to please someone |
/tri:t/ |
|
| web |
spiders spin these to catch flies |
/web/ |
|
| scary |
something which is frightening |
/skeərɪ/ |
|
| moon |
large, round satellite that revolves around The Earth which can be seen in the sky at night |
/mu:n/ |
|
| prank |
a trick or practical joke |
/præŋk/ |
|
| ghostly |
having an appearance or nature similar to a ghost |
/gəʊstlɪ/ |
|
| haunted |
a place frequented by ghosts or other spirits of the death |
/hɔ:ntɪd/ |
|
| grisly |
horrid, gruesome, bloody |
/grɪzlɪ/ |
|
| apparition |
A transparent, ghostly figure |
/æpərɪʃən/ |
|
| scythe |
a long, sharp and curved blade |
/saɪð/ |
|
| ghost |
undead spirit that haunts houses |
/gəʊst/ |
|
| candy |
sweet treats given to children at Halloween |
/kændɪ/ |
used in American English. In British English the word is SWEET
|
