Question

Give Up the Ghost to die; to stop running

Accepted Answer

On the way to the theater, Ernesto's old car just gave up the ghost. This saying started in the Bible (Job 14:10). "Ghost" in this idiom doesn't mean a dead person. It means the soul, which is thought to leave the body when a person dies. So if somebody "gives up the ghost," he or she stops living; if something "gives up the ghost," it stops working.

Idiom	Give Up the Ghost
Example	On the way to the theater, Ernesto's old car just gave up the ghost.
Meaning	to die; to stop running
Origin	This saying started in the Bible (Job 14:10). "Ghost" in this idiom doesn't mean a dead person. It means the soul, which is thought to leave the body when a person dies. So if somebody "gives up the ghost," he or she stops living; if something "gives up the ghost," it stops working.

Ghost Stops Give Theater Ernesto's Car Gave Die