lexis4u: Halloween

Thematic Vocabulary Unit Nº 214 Version 0.4

Main Definitions

halloween 1 |n| the evening before "All Saints Day"; often devoted to pranks played by young people.
halloween 2 |n| the night of October 31st, which is now celebrated by children, who dress in costumes and go from house to house asking for sweets, especially in the US an Canada. In the past, people believed the souls of dead people appeared on Halloween.

bat |n| nocturnal mouse like mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by which they navigate.
black cat |n| a feline with black fur. It is not a particular breed of cat and may be mixed or a specific breed.
spider |n| predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoon fort eggs or traps for prey.
owl |n| nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes. It is also called: bird of Minerva, bird of night, hooter and owlet.

costume 1 |n| a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular.
"She has four costume changes during the play."
costume 2 |n| a set of clothes worn by an actor or performer for a role.
"The actors were still in costume and make-up."
fancy dress 1 |n| a costume worn as a disguise at a masquerade party.
"I went to a fancy dress party as a pirate."
fancy dress 2 |n| is clothing that you wear for a party at which everyone tries to look like a famous person or a person from a story, or from a particular profession.
"Guests were told to come in fancy dress..."
"He turned up at the fancy dress party as a footballer."
disquise |v| to change your appearance so that people cannot recognize you
"She disguised herself as a boy."
mask |n| a covering for all or part of the face, worn as a disguise, for protection or hygiene, or for theatrical effect.
"She wore a mask over her face."
"The kids were all wearing animal masks."
scar |n| a mark that is left on the skin after a wound has healed.
"A scar on his cheek."

"Trick or treat." or guising is a customary practice for children on Halloween in many countries. Children in costumes travel from house to house in order to ask for treats such as candy (or, in some cultures, money) with the question "Trick or treat?". The "trick" is a (usually idle) threat to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given to them.
candy |n| a rich sweet made of flavored sugar and often combined with fruit or nuts.
cobweb |n| a fine net of threads made by a spider to catch insects; a single thread of this net.
spider's web |n| a web spun by spiders to trap insect prey.
jack-o'-lantern |n| a carved pumpkin, turnip or beet, associated chiefly with the holiday of Halloween, and was named after the phenomenon of strange light flickering over peat bogs, called will-o'-the-wisp or jack-o'-lantern. In a jack-o'-lantern, the top is cut off, and the inside flesh then scooped out; an image, usually a monstrous face, is carved out, and the lid replaced.
pumpkin |n| usually large pulpy deep-yellow round fruit of the squash family maturing in late summer or ealy autumn.
skeleton |n| an internal or external framework of bone, cartilage, or other rigid material supporting or containing the body or an animal or plant.

afraid |adj| filled with fear or apprehension.
"Are you affraid of the dark?"
"There's no need to be afraid."
alarm |n| to make somebody anxious and afraid.
"It alarms me that nobody takes this problem seriously."
fear |n| an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
"He ran away in fear."
frighten |v| to make somebody feel afraid, often suddenly.
"He brought out a gun and frightened them off."
intimidate |v| to deliberately frighten someone, especially so that they will do what you want.
"Many of the gangs were using dogs to intimidate people."
panic |n| a sudden feeling of great fear the cannot be controlled and prevents you from thinking clearly.
"I had a sudden moment of panic."
scare |v| to make somebody feel afraid. Scare is less formal than frighten, and is the usual word to use everyday English.
"They managed to scare the bears away."
terror |n| a feeling of exterme fear.
"Her eyes were wild with terror."
terrify |v| to make somebody feel extremely afraid.
"Flying terrified her."

Devil / Satan / Old Nick / Lucifer / Beelzebub / the Temper / Prince of Darkness |n| chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; temper of mankind; master of Hell.
ghost / phantom / apparition / phantasma / specter |n| the visible disembodied soul of a dead person.
giant |n| an imaginary figure of superhuman size and strength; appears in folklore and fairy tales.
gobblin |n| an extremely tall strong man, who is often bad and cruel, in children's stories.
mummy |n| a body embalmed and dried and wrapped for burial (as in ancient Egypt).
scarecrow / straw man / bird-scarer / scarer |n| an effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds.
spirit |n| any incorporeal supernatural being that can become visible (or audible) to human beings.
vampire |n| a corpse that rises at night to drink the blood of the living.
zombie / living dead |n| a dead body that has been brought back to life by a supernatural force.

witch |n| a being (usually female) imagined to have special powers derived from the devil.
"He was turned into a rat by a wicked witch."
beldam / beldame / crone / hag |n| an ugly evil-looking old woman.
fortune teller |n| a person who foretells your personal future.
conjurer / enchanter / magician / magus / sorcerer / warlock / wizard / wonder worker |n| a person with magical powers.

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