Written by Miranda González
You know, idioms are a funny thing. By definition, you can’t figure out an idiom’s meaning simply by looking up individual words. At first glance, these idioms might look a little ghoulish with bats and blood and skeletons and all, but if you look a little closer, you’ll realize that they aren’t scary at all!
To be out for blood
If you are out for blood, you aren’t a vampire; you are simply seeking revenge or looking to punish someone.
Example: Dad found out that someone crashed his car and now he’s out for blood.
To be (as) blind as a bat
As it turns out, bats aren’t actually blind, but this idiom just means that a person has really poor vision. It can be used for someone who is totally blind or simply very near-sighted.
Example: I’m blind as a bat without my glasses.
To have a skeleton in the closet
This is an idiom, of course, so there’s no real skeleton in the closet, but it’s a secret that a person has kept hidden because it will cause negative consequences for him/her.
Example: Gary was running for political office when a journalist discovered that he had a skeleton in the closet: he had a child with a woman who wasn’t his wife.
To smell a rat
If you smell a rat, it means that you begin to suspect that something is wrong or that someone is being dishonest with you. Hmm…which is worse – a dishonest person or an actual rat?
Example: Bob told his employees that they would not receive raises because the company’s budget was too tight. However, he seems to be driving a very fancy car and wearing nicer clothes lately. I smell a rat.
To come back to haunt someone
The word “haunt” is not just used with ghosts. This idiom means that a bad decision can cause problems for you later in life.
Example: That speeding ticket came back to haunt me when I didn’t get the job because of a bad driving record.
A witch hunt
While this idiom refers back to a time when people persecuted people they believed to be actual witches, it now refers to any situation where a person or group of people is targeted and punished for having differing or unpopular beliefs.
Example: A group of co-workers is trying to get our boss fired. He didn’t do anything wrong; they just don’t like his religion. It’s a witch hunt!
Can you use one of these idioms in a sentence? Share your sentence in the comments below.
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