Somebody walked over your grave

Posted by John McKeown on February 04, 2006

The phrase in English to describe the shivers down the spine experience that sometimes happens has long amazed me. The phrase is, "somebody walked over your grave". What a wierd phrase and an incredible view of time, how can someone have walked over your grave when you are here and alive? I know that in Polish they say something similar which I understand translates as "Death walked through you", spooky! The similarity of the concept in Polish, being a Slavic language suggests (to me) great antiquity. Does anyone know anything of the phrase's origins, or anything about it?

• Somebody walked over your grave ESC 05/February/06