Where did the phrase "Ghost walked over my grave" come from?

Question

I am referring to when you get that shudder down your back and people say "It was a Ghost walking over my grave"

Actually the phrase is "Somebody Just Walked Over My Grave"

Answer 1

It's You really wouldn't get such a shiver in your spine or gooseflesh is a ghost walked over it 'cause ghosts, as everyone knows, just hover. :-D

"If you suddenly shudder, it means a rabbit (or goose) has run across your grave." This is from The Mountain Times, Appalachian Folk Beliefs, online. Another source yielded the belief that shuddering meant a goose was running across your grave." (source 1)

There is also a movie: Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) where the saying MAY have come from (source 2)

It was also said by the character Doc Holliday in the movie "Tombstone"

Answer 2

I don't think that there is a big story there but you might enjoy this:

According to The History Channel, during the Victorian age, people would
> only change a baby's diaper every four days. Whew whee! The next time you
> are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't
> just how you like it, think about how things used to be.
>
> Here are some facts about the 1500s: These are interesting...
>
> Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in
> May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were beginning
> to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.
> Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
>
> Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house
> had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and
> men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By
> then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it Hence
> the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."
>
> Houses had thatched roofs--thick straw-piled high, with no wood
> underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats
> and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it
> became slippery and sometimes the animals would fall off the roof. Hence
> the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

Answer 3

You may say, I heard it this way and that. But, you can't argue with other people about which way is correct. God, what a stupid thing to do.

The "grave" saying has been bandied about for centuries. My grandparents said it different ways actually, depending on how it fit the conversation. BTW ... I bet my grandparents are older than your grandparents. My grandparents were all born before 1900.

The version of the saying that seems to make the most sense to me is a "ghost passed over my grave". That would be cause for a shudder!

A cat ran over my grave would be scary and make one shudder considering cats are evil incarnate. LOL

But, a goose or a rabbit walked over my grave? I mean why would you shudder if a rabbit passed over your grave? The goose one kinda makes sense, because the shudder is usually accompanied by goose pimples. But, whatever, no one can say that is incorrect. There is no incorrect.

I went to a really stupid British site called "Phrase Finder", and of course, like all Brits, they think they invented the "grave" saying ... along with the wheel, and everything else. And, maybe they did invent the saying, but their attitude is so annoying you just wanna slap the smug smile off their face. What a bunch of big babies. Of course, no matter how we American's say it, we are wrong and they are right. KMA Brits. LOL

Answer 4

Walked Over

Answer 5

I've always heard it said that a rabbit ran over your grave. It seems it's just an old expression to suggest that something has run over your grave to make your corps shake.

Answer 6

Hmm I only heard 'like someone walked over my grave'..I gotta get out more.....

But I think it should be ' A dog just took a dump on my grave' or something more graphic.

Answer 7

The phrase is GOOSE walked over my grave.

This is an old superstition, occasionally mentioned when a person has a slight shiver and perhaps ‘gooseflesh’ or pimples on the skin due to cold or fright.

Answer 8

someone walked over the exact place were you will die in the future and another person walked over the location were you will be burried in the future at the exact same time. This according tho the old wives table produces a profound shive down your spine and sometimes goosebumps.

Answer 9

actually its not a ghost, it's somebody walked over where you grave will be..,.
god knows where it came from

Answer 10

Zombies