On this program , we talk about the origins and usage of common expressions in American English . With Halloween just around the corner , today we explore the haunted world of ghosts ! The Merriam-Webster online dictionary says the word “ghost ” goes back a thousand years to the “earliest recorded evidence of the language .” The first meaning of “ghost ” was “the seat of life or intelligence .” And it still has that meaning in some expressions . However , today , the word “ghost ” usually means the soul of a dead person . This meaning is based on the idea that a person's spirit and body are separate . The spirit can continue existing long after the body has died . An older spelling of “ghost ” is “g-a-s-t .” “Ghast ,” spelled with an “h ,” is the root of words like aghast , meaning struck with terror or shock , and ghastly , meaning very frightening . For example , I was aghast at her ghastly appearance . The German word for “ghost ” is “geist .” Two common words in American English that end in “-geist ” are poltergeist and zeitgeist . Poltergeist is a ghost that makes strange noises and causes objects to move . It is also the title of a 1982 film , remade in 2015 . The movie Poltergeist often makes it on the “scariest movies of all time ” lists . And all you have to say is , “They're here !” for people to know what movie you are talking about . Zeitgeist means the spirit of the age or spirit of the time . It is the leading set of ideals or beliefs that cause people to act during a certain time . For example , you could say that the songs of singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie captured the zeitgeist of 1960s America . As we said at the top of the program , Halloween is just around the corner . During Halloween , kids dressed as ghosts are common sights . The costume is very simple : just throw on a white cloth that covers you from head to foot . But do not expect to win any costume competitions ! You would not have a ghost of a chance . People use this expression to mean that something is very unlikely to happen . Another popular ghost expression is “You look like you've seen a ghost !” We say this when people look frightened or shocked . After all , a ghost is dead . So , it might be an unpleasant surprise to see one . The sight might even make you turn pale as a ghost . This is used when people lose color in their face . Sometime this happens when a person is scared . But a bad cold or flu can also turn you as pale as a ghost . “Ghost ” can also be a verb . In the 1880s the term ghost meant a person who works in secret for another person . The most common usage is in “ghostwriting .” This term means someone is paid to write material that is credited to someone else . They also produce books for authors who want to tell their life stories but are not professional writers . And sometimes ghostwriters are involved in a series of books -- like the children's mystery stories based around the teenage detective Nancy Drew . The series began in 1930 . The author given credit was Carolyn Keene . But she was not even real ! Another expression using “ghost ” as a verb is simply to ghost . This does not mean to die . It means to leave a place or event without saying “goodbye ” to anyone . You can ghost from your job . You can ghost from a party . You can even ghost from a relationship . This is when you stop communicating with someone because you are simply no longer interested in them .