His sad face was a ghost at the feast during our party.
ghost at the feast
idiomA presence that mars one's enjoyment by causing guilt or reviving unwelcome memories.
Origin
first recorded 17th c.After Banquo in Shakespeare's Macbeth (1606); Macbeth murders Banquo, whose mutilated body subsequently appears at a feast as a ghost, unseen by all but Macbeth.
Even though the celebration was lively, the mention of the lost contract acted like a ghost at the feast.
The presence of the disgraced former director at the anniversary gala served as a ghost at the feast, casting a long shadow over the evening's festivities.
- 01
feast or famine
A situation in which something is always either extremely abundant or in extremely short supply.
- 02
ghost from one's past
Something unpleasant from one's past that "haunts" them (makes them feel uneasy) to the present day.
- 03
ghost home
A residence intentionally kept vacant by an absentee owner, especially a foreign investor, as a financially safe asset to be liquidated at a convenient time.
- 04
give up the ghost
To cease clinging to life; to die.
- 05
skeleton at the feast
One whose presence brings gloom to a joyous occasion.
- 06
yield the ghost
To give up the ghost.
- 07
yield up the ghost
For a person, to die.