scaracter
n.—Gloss: an actor at a Halloween-themed amusement park or haunted house. Note: From scare + ch(ar)acter. «“I absolutely love Halloween.”…Once he learned about Scarowinds, he immediately signed on to interview for a “scaracter,” as they are called.…“They asked me to picture a character, give what it would be like, and do an impersonation.” He added that his mother had a connectivity syndrome that he inherited and this allows him to disconnect his jaw, fingers and ankles to create a more believable character.…There are over 300 scaracters this year, and the expanded park includes six design mazes.» —“Jeepers, what a creeper” by Alice Shrader Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) Oct. 14, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
What’s up with ketchup? The shifting history and spelling of the name of this condiment. For centuries, ketchup was a fishy sauce originating in Asia—the tomatoes came only later! Plus, a new book shows what’s lost when a language dies: when there...
Lisa from Tabernacle, New Jersey, grew up using the term cabbage night to refer to the night before Halloween when all manner of mischief takes place. The term itself goes back to the 1860s, while the custom of pranks on October 30 is older. The...