trick-or-treat
Halloween door greeting
Trick-or-treat is the Halloween custom where children in costumes go door to door asking for candy, with the implied playful threat of mischief if refused.
The phrase functions as both a greeting shouted at doorsteps and a verb: We trick-or-treated until our bags were full.
As a noun, it refers to the activity itself: Trick-or-treat starts at dusk in our neighborhood.
The practice is most common in the United States and Canada.
Ceremonial set of actions
- customHabitual group practice
- annualOccurring every year
- neighborhoodResidential area nearby
- suburbsResidential areas outside cities
community · children · autumn · festivity · porchlight · chaperone · bucket · pillowcase
Large orange autumn gourd
- jack-o-lanternCarved pumpkin with candle
- hauntedOccupied by ghosts
- ghostApparition of the dead
- witchPractitioner of dark arts
spooky · skeleton · vampire · monster · cobweb · bat · zombie · scarecrow
Identity-concealing alteration
- maskFace-worn concealment
- makeupProducts for beautifying faces
- outfitSet of clothes worn together
- superheroPowered champion against evil
witch · vampire · ghost · zombie · pirate · princess · monster · clown
Performing in disguise
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
- ancestralOf one's forebears
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- folkRegular common people
pageantry · procession · turnips · spirits · departed · offerings · evolution
Total absence of light
- eveningLate day period
- moonlightReflected solar radiance, nocturnal
- shadowsDark areas from blocked light
- flashlightsPortable battery-powered lamps
reflectors · chill · streetlights · porchlights · lanterns · dusk · visibility · safety
ritual
Ceremonial set of actions
- customHabitual group practice
- annualOccurring every year
- neighborhoodResidential area nearby
suburbs · community · children · autumn · festivity · porchlight · chaperone · bucket · pillowcase · excitement
pumpkin
Large orange autumn gourd
- jack-o-lanternCarved pumpkin with candle
- hauntedOccupied by ghosts
- ghostApparition of the dead
witch · spooky · skeleton · vampire · monster · cobweb · bat · zombie · scarecrow · cauldron
disguise
Identity-concealing alteration
superhero · witch · vampire · ghost · zombie · pirate · princess · monster · clown · werewolf
mumming
Performing in disguise
folk · pageantry · procession · turnips · spirits · departed · offerings · evolution
darkness
Total absence of light
- eveningLate day period
- moonlightReflected solar radiance, nocturnal
- shadowsDark areas from blocked light
flashlights · reflectors · chill · streetlights · porchlights · lanterns · dusk · visibility · safety · curfew
knock
Strike-produced sound
greeting · decorations · welcome · homeowner · entryway · walkway · steps · lanterns · visitors · neighbors
sweets
Sugary food items
caramels · snickers · m&ms · skittles · toffees · jellybeans · marshmallows · licorice · bubblegum · fun-size
- childhood activitiesboard games, cartoons, playgrounds, puppets, fairytales
- American customsThanksgiving, Fourth of July, tipping, tailgating, Halloween
- Halloweenjack-o-lantern, haunted mansion, pumpkin, ghost, costumes
- holiday traditionsChristmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter, New Year
- party traditionschampagne toast, toasts, toasting, cake cutting, gift opening
- autumnautumn leaves, leaf fall, fall, autumn equinox, golden leaves