1
general::
Phrase(s): give up the ghost
Euph. to die. (Fixed order. Often used to describe machines breaking down.) • The old man gave up the ghost. • My poor old car finally gave up the ghost.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Die, as in At ten o'clock he gave up the ghost. This expression, which employs ghost in the sense of "the soul or spirit," may itself be dying out. [Late 1300s]
American Heritage Idioms