give up the ghost
1 (of a person) die.
2 (of a machine) stop working; break down, especially permanently.
3 stop making an effort; give up hope.
☞ The Old English meaning of ghost, 'the soul or spirit as the source of life', survives only in this idiom.
❸2018Brad ParksCloser Than You Know Trying to go forward with some kind of murder-for-hire scenario would be both unjust and patently absurd, a terrible example of the government being unable to give up the ghost.