Trick or Treat? Solution

This is the solution to my Trick or Treat crossword for this year's Sloggers and Betters event in York. You can find the crossword here.

Before looking at the answers, if you would like some additional help, click the label below.

Hints and tips...

Here are a few hints and tips.

• In 12A Lions and Wallabies should, strictly speaking, have been capitalised.
• The clue for18A includes a collective noun.
• In 25A ignoie the apostrophe for the cryptic reading and Bob is short for Bobsleigh.
• The first 2D gave rise to the famous quote "The Eagle has landed".
• 4D is a term for a group of nine.
• For 11D it helps to know that Neil Kinnock had red hair when he was younger.

And click on this label to get the solution.

Solution and explanation of the answers...

 

Definitions  underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc,{deletions} and [] other indicators.

Across
1 When children play tricks harassing whole lane (9)
HALLOWEEN – [Harassing] ( whole lane )*.
6 Beast, oddly, is one that flies at night (3)
BAT – Odd letters of BeAsT.
8 Persistently ask family members to make a sort of pie (7)
PUMPKIN – PUMP (persistently ask) KIN (family members).
9 Fiend who haunts mysterious lough (5)
GHOUL – [Mysterious] ( lough )*.
10 Added alcohol to some workplace drinks (5)
LACED – Hidden in workpLACE Drinks.
12 Give evidence about where lions and wallabies may be found (6)
ATTEST – AT TEST (where Lions and Wallabies may be found).
14 Second best comedian (6)
SCREAM -  S (second) CREAM (best).
16 Experts in studies about molybdenum (6)
DEMONS – DENS (studies) outside MO (chemical symbol for Molybdenum).
18 Member of parliament 's nose? (6)
HOOTER – Double definition, the first a cryptic hint.
19 Broadcast price of popular holiday destination (5)
COSTA - Sounds like COST OF (price of).
21 Head of council enters accompanied by charming woman (5)
WITCH – First letter of Council in WITH (accompanied by).
22 Mother cooked crab and some emetic - how gruesome! (7)
MACABRE - MA (mother), [cooked] ( crab )* and first letter of Emetic.
24 Tear produced by valedictory message (3)
RIP – Double definition, the second being the abbreviation of Rest In Peace.
25 Bob's secrets that are hidden in a cupboard (9)
SKELETONS – Double definition.
 
Down
1 Dance drunkenly opening someone else's grave (8)
HOPELESS – HOP (dance) ( s {omeone} else )* [drunkenly], using the first letter [opening] of Someone.
2 Spice girl raised to be a moonlighter ? (3)
LEM - MEL (spice girl) reversed and a cryptic definition for a Lunar Excursion Module (the bit of an Apollo spacecraft that landed (lit) on the moon).
3 Leading oenologists always know every detail of how wine can be treated (5)
OAKED – Initial letters of Oenologists Always Know Every Detail.
4 Maybe players of nonet need an arrangement (6)
ENNEAD – ( need an )*  [arrangement].. A group of nine.
5 After dark that is the thing to wear (7)
NIGHTIE – NIGHT (after dark) I.E. (that is).
6 Reserves brewing ingredients from novel locations (9)
BOOKSHOPS – BOOKS (reserves) HOPS (brewing ingredients).
7 Coral island without a ring (4)
TOLL – {a}TOLL (coral island) without the A.
11 Complain about corruption to Neil Kinnock, say? (6-3)
CARROT-TOP – CARP (complain) about ROT (corruption) TO.
13 American goes after key fugitives (8)
ESCAPEES – ESC (key) A (American) PEES (goes).
15 They can be dropped East and West of Harlech (7)
AITCHES - Last and first letters (East and West) of HarlecH
17 Meg's confused about force and unit of mass (6)
GRAMME – RAM (force) in ( Meg )* [confused].
19 Picked up money from hiding place (5)
CACHE - Sounds like, [overheard] CASH (how to pay)
20 Vessel that's essential to brewery (4)
EWER – Hidden in [essential to] brEWERy
23 Show displeasure with endless loud noise (3)
BOO – BOO{m} (loud noise) without the last letter.