Skeleton in the Cupboard – a scandal that is kept secret
Ex: James has a few skeletons in his cupboard and is terrified that he will be found out.


Make the blood run cold – to totally scare you
Ex: The screams in the woods made my blood run cold.


Scared Stiff – so scared that you cannot move
Ex. I am scared stiff of walking on ice.


In cold blood – to act in cold blood is to do something without any emotion and deliberately
Ex: The victim was shot in cold blood.


A witch – hunt – an investigation carried out under the pretext of uncovering illegal activity but is actually used to harass people with different views.
Ex: The Government has been accused of carrying out a witch-hunt on small businesses.


Stab in the back – to stab someone in the back means to betray them
Ex: After all I did for him, he stabbed me in the back when he told all those lies about me.