Mischievous spirit to depart, limpin' around (9)
I believe the answer is:
hobgoblin
'mischievous spirit' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'depart limpin' around' is the wordplay.
'depart' becomes 'go' (synonyms).
'limpin'' becomes 'hobblin'' ('hobbling' said like 'limping' was; 'hobble' can be a synonym of 'limp').
'around' indicates putting letters inside.
'go' placed within 'hobblin' is 'HOBGOBLIN'.
'to' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for hobgoblin that I've seen before include "Evil creature" , "A mischievous or evil spirit" , "Ugly elf" , "bogey" , "Frightful apparition - mischievous fairy" .)