haunting / ordeal
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haunting
Unexplained and eerie events such as noises or apparitions that are attributed to ghosts or supernatural forces.
Die neuen Bewohner glauben, dass es in dem alten Haus einen Spuk gibt.
The new residents believe there is a haunting in the old house.
ordeal
Colloquial term for a strange, incomprehensible, or annoying matter that will hopefully soon come to an end.
Morgen ist die Prüfung vorbei, dann hat der ganze Spuk endlich ein Ende.
Tomorrow the exam will be over, and then the whole ordeal will finally be over.
'Der Spuk' (haunting) is the noun related to the verb 'spuken' (to be haunted). When you say 'es spukt' (it's haunted / there are ghosts), it means that unexplained, eerie things are happening in a place.
Die Kinder erzählten sich Gruselgeschichten darüber, dass es auf dem Dachboden spukt.
The children told each other scary stories about the attic being haunted.
You can recognize the figurative meaning (m02) by the fact that it is about an everyday, annoying situation, not ghosts. It is often combined with 'der ganze Spuk' (the whole ordeal) or 'endlich vorbei' (finally over).
Nach wochenlanger Vorbereitung war der Spuk der Konferenz endlich vorbei.
After weeks of preparation, the ordeal of the conference was finally over.
In the colloquial meaning, the expression 'der ganze Spuk' (the whole ordeal) is often used to sum up an unpleasant phase or an annoying event.
Ich bin froh, wenn die Renovierungsarbeiten vorbei sind und der ganze Spuk ein Ende hat.
I'll be glad when the renovation work is over and the whole ordeal comes to an end.
