Give up the ghost
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
To die or cease functioning, letting go of life or effort.
Origin
From the Bible, both Old Testament (Job 14: 10) and New (Mark 15: 37), where 'give up the ghost' meant death's release of soul-English by 1382 in Wycliffe's translation. Shakespeare's 1600 'Julius Caesar' uses it, and by the 19th century, it hit gadgets, as in an 1878 tale of a dead engine. It reflects medieval faith and industrial wear, growing into a haunting idiom of expiry.
Variants
- Up the ghost
- Give the ghost
Usage Examples
- The old truck finally gave up the ghost on the highway.
- He gave up the ghost after a long fight with illness.
- My laptop gave up the ghost mid-presentation.
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