Aira Soon's Blog: Vocabulary: Be ready for Halloween!

Halloween is on its way, so you may start seeing some unfamiliar words around. You may think “spoo-what?” but no worries, we’re here to help you understand these common Halloween terms.

1. Werewolf: a werewolf is a human that has the ability to transform into a wolf. This is a mythical figure, but a werewolf costume looks amazing and terrifying!

2. Spooky: if you feel frightened, scared, and/or uneasy about something, then that thing is definitely spooky! This word might not be very commonly used throughout the year, but when it comes to Halloween, the spookier the better!

3. Jack-O’-Lantern: pumpkin carving is a fun activity to do with friends; letting your imagination create the funniest or scariest faces on a pumpkin. But the best part of it all is seeing the result of your hard work displayed with a candle in it, lighting up the whole room! This is called a Jack-o-Lantern.

4. Goose bumps: after you see something spooky, you might feel some weird sensations in your body, including goose bumps. This has nothing to do with a goose, but instead is when your skin feels tingly after the temperature changes suddenly or you feel a strong emotion!

5. Trick or Treat: in countries where Halloween is celebrated, kids go from house to house dressed in costumes, collecting candy. This is known as “trick-or-treating”. You may wonder why it’s called that, and the story goes all the way back to the Middle Ages when children went door to door begging for food or money, and they would sing for them or say a prayer to pay them back on November 1st, the day of the dead.

6. Scarecrow: Originally used to scare birds away from the crops in farms, scarecrows are now a typical Halloween decoration. They are made out of hay and old clothes and look like a man, so don’t get confused!

7. Candy Corn: Candy Corn is a very typical Halloween candy in North America. They have this name thanks to the resemblance to real corn niblets and because of the corn syrup used to make them.