What is a “Spoiler”?
A spoiler is information that gives away something that happens in an episode of a TV program that hasn’t been shown in Australia yet, or some other media that has not yet been published in Australia. Most people don’t want to know what’s happening in future episodes or releases, but prefer to see it as it happens. You have to be very careful about posting spoilers, see below.
Well, a common definition (and mine only, I take all responsibility) is a spoiler is any comment/feedback that reveals the content of a chapter/story to the public. Example: Oh No! Michael is in love with Joe? (*wink* Genevieve) The reason this is a spoiler is because: it reveals a plot/character development to the reading public BEFORE they have had a chance to read the chapter, thereby ruining their anticipation and own shock at this discovery. How it can be fixed. In most cases, less is more. This could be fixed with: Oh No! (r) with the (r) being the either the rest of the feedback or admonishing the writer for daring to do such a thing. *wink* Example: Good, she/he deserved to die. The reason this is a spoiler is because: it details a major plot development. If the preceding chapters had been leading up to a confrontation, then you have denied the other readers a chance to discover the outcome. Now, true this does not reveal WHO died, but it still reveals the answer to a ‘question
Let’s look it up: 1. One who seizes spoils or booty. 2. Something that causes spoilage. 3. a) A long, narrow hinged plate on the upper surface of an airplane wing that reduces lift and increases drag when raised. 3b. An air deflector mounted usually at the rear of an automobile to reduce lift at high speeds. 4. A candidate for office whose chances of winning are slight but who may get enough votes to prevent one of the leading candidates from winning. 5. A post to a newsgroup that divulges information intended to be a surprise, such as a plot twist in a movie. We are concerned with definition number 3b here. A spoiler for our purposes is an airfoil that sticks up at the back of a car that is designed to be driven at high speeds. It limits lift of the car and thus makes it slightly faster. A spoiler does increase drag somewhat. This web site is dedicated to appreciation of Hot Wheels “Spoilers” 1/64 scale toy cars, which were made in the early 1970s.
