Are Halloween costumes too scary? - 6 Minute English

Halloween is celebrated all over the world at this time of year but, with parents complaining that some costumes are too scary, is the festival still just harmless fun? Sam and Neil discuss the topic and teach you related vocabulary along the way.

This week's question
Why did people traditionally dress up in costumes on Halloween?
a) to scare their neighbours as a joke
b) to use up their old clothes
c) to hide from ghosts
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Vocabulary
trick-or-treating
Halloween tradition where children dress up in scary costumes and go knocking on neighbours' doors shouting 'trick or treat'. If the person who answers the door does not give the children a treat, such a sweets or candy, they play a trick on them

over the top (OTT)
too extreme, unsuitable and therefore unacceptable

the Grim Reaper
imaginary character who represents Death and looks like a skeleton, wearing a long black cloak and carrying a curved cutting tool called a scythe.

race to the bottom
situation in which companies compete with each other to sell products as cheaply as possible; situation in which the standard of something gets worse and worse

halfway house
arrangement which includes features of two contrasting idea; compromise

snowflake generation
way of describing the generation of young people who become adults in or after the 2010s, and who are considered by some to be easily upset and offended

TRANSCRIPT
[Cover: Getty Images]
You can download audio and text here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2022/ep-221027

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