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Spoiler

A spoiler is one that spoils or disrupts a process, enjoyment, or outcome, with the term originating from the verb "to spoil" denoting the act of damaging or ruining something valuable.^[1] In electoral politics, a spoiler refers to a candidate or party with negligible prospects of victory yet sufficient support to siphon votes from a stronger contender of similar ideology, thereby altering the result in a multi-candidate race under plurality voting systems.^[1]^[2] In media and entertainment, a spoiler constitutes any disclosure of critical narrative details—such as plot twists, character fates, or endings—from films, books, television series, or games, which can diminish suspense or surprise for unprepared recipients.^[3] In engineering, particularly aeronautics and automotive design, a spoiler is a hinged or fixed aerodynamic surface that interrupts smooth airflow over wings, fuselages, or vehicle bodies to reduce lift, enhance downforce, or increase drag for better control and stability at high speeds.^[4]^[5] These applications highlight the term's versatility in describing mechanisms of interference, grounded in observable causal effects rather than subjective interpretations.

Etymology and Core Meanings

Original and General Definitions

The term "spoiler" originates as an agent noun from the verb "spoil," which entered English around 1300 from Old French espillier and Latin spoliare, denoting the act of stripping, plundering, or seizing goods, particularly in contexts of war or conquest.^[6] This foundational sense positions the spoiler as an active agent of disruption, one who intentionally or incidentally deprives something or someone of value, utility, or intended purpose through ravagement or corruption.^[3] Historically, the noun "spoiler" first appears in English records in the mid-1500s, with the earliest attested use in 1535 from biblical translations referring to a despoiler or plunderer in warfare, as in passages evoking enemies who lay waste to lands and possessions without restitution.^[7] By the 16th century, dictionaries and texts fixed it as "a person who robs or ravages; despoiler; plunderer," emphasizing unauthorized seizure that renders targets useless or diminished, often in military or predatory contexts akin to pillagers stripping spoils from the defeated.^[3]^[1] This core meaning underscores causal interference: the spoiler interrupts an object's or plan's functional integrity, verifiable in primary sources like early modern lexicons where it denotes marauders who corrupt or destroy without productive intent.^[8] In general, non-specialized usage, a spoiler denotes any entity—person, action, or circumstance—that mars, corrupts, or nullifies expected outcomes, such as an individual who thwarts arrangements or opportunities through meddlesome interference.^[9] This extends to everyday scenarios where the term captures deliberate or inadvertent ruination, like overindulgence that spoils a child's discipline or external factors spoiling perishable goods by hastening decay, always rooted in the principle of value erosion via uncontrolled disruption.^[3] Early 19th-century definitions in American and British dictionaries retained this emphasis on the spoiler as a robber or one who renders useless, distinguishing it from mere damage by implying agency and often moral culpability in the act.^[7]

Linguistic Evolution

The noun "spoiler" entered English around 1400 as an agent noun from "spoil," denoting one who robs, plunders, or strips goods, derived ultimately from Latin spoliare ("to strip, plunder").^[10] This literal sense persisted into the mid-1500s, as evidenced by its earliest recorded use in 1535 biblical texts referring to despoilers or ravagers.^[7] By extension, the term evolved to encompass metaphorical disruption, where "spoiling" implied damaging or interrupting an intended process or outcome, rather than mere physical seizure—a shift rooted in the verb's broadening from wartime booty to general corruption or impairment.^[6] In the 20th century, technical applications accelerated this metaphorical extension, particularly in aviation, where "spoilers" emerged as devices to deliberately interrupt smooth airflow over wings, reducing lift and increasing drag for controlled descent or braking.^[1] These aerodynamic components, introduced in aircraft designs around the 1940s, exemplified "spoiling" as a precise causal intervention in fluid dynamics, influencing postwar engineering lexicon across automotive and other fields where airflow disruption became a engineered feature rather than incidental damage.^[11] This usage predated and paralleled broader adoptions, providing a model for "spoiler" as an agent of targeted interference, distinct from random plundering. By the mid-20th century, the disruptive sense applied to competitive contexts, such as sports or elections, where a "spoiler" denoted an entity (e.g., a candidate) that undermines a frontrunner's chances without prevailing itself, attested from 1950 onward.^[10] In media and entertainment, the term shifted to narrative interruption with the first documented print usage for plot reveals in the April 1971 issue of National Lampoon, where an article titled "Spoilers" by Doug Kenney listed endings of films and books to preemptively "spoil" reader experience.^[12] The phrase "spoiler alert" followed in 1982 via a Usenet newsgroup post warning of revelations about Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.^[13] Linguistic corpora reflect a marked rise in "spoiler" frequency post-1970, correlating with expanding media consumption and online discourse, though pre-20th-century instances remained tied to plundering without the modern interruptive connotation.

Media and Entertainment

Plot and Narrative Spoilers

A plot spoiler refers to the premature disclosure of key narrative elements, such as twists, character fates, or endings, in media like films, television series, books, or video games, which can alter the intended audience experience by diminishing surprise or suspense.^[14] These revelations occur through reviews, discussions, trailers, or social media, often unintentionally, and are distinct from deliberate foreshadowing within the work itself. Empirical evidence indicates that spoilers reduce initial surprise but may not uniformly decrease overall enjoyment, as they allow viewers or readers to focus on character development, foreshadowing, and thematic resolution rather than prediction.^[15] The term's application to narratives originated in the early 1970s, with an early printed use in a 1971 National Lampoon article titled "Spoilers" by Douglas C. Kenney, which satirically revealed endings of then-current films.^[16] It gained traction in the late 1970s and 1980s amid growing television criticism and fan communities, where reviewers and discussants began warning about revelations to preserve immersion. The phrase "spoiler alert" first appeared in a 1982 Usenet newsgroup post discussing the ending of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, marking the onset of formalized etiquette in online forums like Usenet, which facilitated rapid sharing of plot details among asynchronous audiences.^[13] This practice proliferated with the internet's expansion in the 1990s, as fan sites and early message boards amplified the need for warnings to avoid alienating participants who consumed media at different paces.^[14] Psychological research has examined spoilers' causal effects on engagement, challenging intuitive aversion. A 2011 study by psychologists Jonathan Leavitt and Nicholas Christenfeld at the University of California, San Diego, tested enjoyment across 12 short stories from genres like mystery and literary fiction; participants who read spoiler paragraphs revealing outcomes rated the stories as more enjoyable than unspoiled versions, attributing this to enhanced processing of ironic twists and emotional arcs without the burden of unresolved uncertainty.^[17] Subsequent analyses suggest spoilers facilitate predictive processing, reducing cognitive load during first exposure and potentially boosting re-consumption value, though they diminish suspense—a core driver of thrill in genres like horror or thrillers.^[18] Mixed findings emerge for specific spoiler types; for instance, outcome spoilers may preserve appreciation better than process spoilers (revealing methods of events), but both can lower perceived lasting impact in some narratives.^[19] Debates over spoiler etiquette center on balancing transparency with experiential integrity. Proponents of unrestricted discussion argue that critical analysis requires addressing plot mechanics to evaluate themes, character motivations, or structural flaws, as withholding details hampers substantive reviews and prioritizes consumer convenience over intellectual discourse.^[20] Critics counter that spoilers constitute an ethical breach, undermining the creator's designed emotional trajectory and fostering avoidance behaviors, such as delayed consumption or selective media engagement, particularly in serialized formats where communal timing heightens risks.^[21] Journalism standards vary, with outlets like film critics often employing "spoiler alerts" for major reveals post-release to mitigate backlash, though empirical data shows tolerance thresholds rise after a work's debut window, reflecting audience adaptation.^[22] These tensions underscore causal realism in media ecosystems: while spoilers propagate via networked sharing, their net impact depends on individual forecasting errors, where anticipated ruin exceeds actual detriment.^[23]

Fictional Characters and Specific Works

Stephanie Brown, known by her vigilante alias Spoiler, debuted in Detective Comics #647 (August 1992), created by writer Chuck Dixon and artist Tom Lyle as the teenage daughter of the Riddler-like villain Cluemaster.^[24]^[25] Donning a purple-and-black costume, she operated to deliberately undermine and expose her father's inept criminal plots, embodying the term's connotation of tactical disruption against established schemes.^[25] Over subsequent storylines, Brown allied with Robin (Tim Drake), briefly succeeded him as the fourth Robin in 2004 amid Batman's approval, and later assumed the Batgirl mantle from 2009 to 2011, showcasing her evolution from amateur spoiler to skilled operative despite narrative setbacks like a controversial "death" storyline reversed in 2008.^[25] Her arcs highlight resilience amid Gotham's hierarchical hero dynamics, though fan discussions have critiqued DC's editorial shifts, such as her demotion from Batgirl, as inconsistent with her established growth.^[25] In literature, The Spoilers refers to Rex Beach's 1906 novel set amid the Klondike Gold Rush in Nome, Alaska, where protagonists Roy Glenister and partner Dextry battle corrupt federal officials and claim-jumpers—derisively called "spoilers"—who illegally seize miners' stakes through rigged courts and bribery.^[26] Drawing from real 1899-1900 scandals involving figures like attorney Alexander McKenzie, the book sold over 35,000 copies in its first year, emphasizing themes of frontier justice against institutional plunder.^[26] The novel inspired multiple film adaptations portraying the "spoilers" as antagonistic opportunists disrupting honest claims: a 1914 silent version by William Nigh; 1923 with Noah Beery Sr.; 1930 Pre-Code iteration starring Gary Cooper as Glenister; the 1942 Universal Pictures release directed by Ray Enright, featuring John Wayne, Marlene Dietrich, and Randolph Scott in a saloon brawl climax; and a 1955 low-budget Western with Wayne Morris.^[27]^[28] These works popularized the term in Western genre narratives of economic sabotage during resource booms.^[27] Several independent music acts have adopted "Spoiler" or "Spoilers" as band names, evoking disruption: a Dutch stoner rock group active since the 2010s; a Swedish pop ensemble; a New York City indie rock outfit; a UK metalcore band from Essex; and the American group Spoilers, who released the 2018 album Roundabouts blending punk and alternative styles.^[29]^[30]^[31] These usages tie loosely to the motif of subverting expectations, akin to narrative twists, though without direct plot spoilers in their output.^[29]

Politics and Elections

Spoiler Effect

The spoiler effect denotes a dynamic in plurality voting systems, wherein a minor candidate siphons votes primarily from a ideologically proximate major contender, inadvertently propelling an otherwise uncompetitive opponent to victory despite the combined support for the split faction exceeding that of the winner.^[32]^[33] This occurs because plurality awards victory to the candidate with the most votes, irrespective of majority support, allowing small redistributions—often 2-5% of the electorate in tight contests—to alter outcomes when third-party participation fragments a cohesive voter base.^[34] Mathematically, it exemplifies a breach of the independence of irrelevant alternatives axiom in social choice theory: the preference ordering between two primary options reverses solely due to the introduction of a non-viable third, a vulnerability inherent to plurality and underscored by Arrow's Impossibility Theorem, which establishes that no rank-order aggregation method can concurrently fulfill universal domain, Pareto efficiency, non-dictatorship, and this independence criterion across all profiles.^[35] Observed recurrently in first-past-the-post implementations, the effect correlates with empirical patterns of vote distribution in multi-candidate fields, where similarity in policy platforms predicts disproportionate drainage from aligned major-party shares, as quantified in post-hoc simulations reallocating third-party ballots.^[32] Analyses of U.S. congressional and gubernatorial races reveal instances where margins below 5% aligned with third-party hauls exceeding that threshold from comparable ideological pools, though causal attribution relies on voter surveys and ecological inference rather than direct experimentation, introducing estimation uncertainties.^[34] Duverger's Law formalizes this as a systemic driver of bipolar convergence, positing that spoiler risks compel rational actors to consolidate behind viable options, yielding effective two-party equilibria in single-member districts—a pattern borne out in cross-national data from plurality-adopting democracies, albeit with exceptions in fragmented multiparty contexts.^[36] Defenders of plurality highlight the spoiler effect's role in incentivizing endogenous party alliances and centrist positioning to preempt splits, thereby promoting governance cohesion and minimizing post-election instability, as theorized in spatial models of electoral competition.^[37] Detractors, including electoral reform advocates, assert it systematically underrepresents minority viewpoints by amplifying strategic abstention or defection, empirically associating it with diminished third-party viability and policy echo chambers in dominant duopolies, per longitudinal assessments of legislative diversity under first-past-the-post.^[34]^[32] Major-party rhetoric invoking spoilers to deter challengers has faced scrutiny for overstating incidence relative to baseline multi-candidate volatility, though data affirm its materiality in pivotal low-margin scenarios comprising 10-15% of U.S. statewide races since 2000.^[34]

Notable Spoiler Candidates and Instances

In the 1912 United States presidential election, former president Theodore Roosevelt's candidacy on the Progressive ("Bull Moose") Party ticket split the Republican vote from incumbent William Howard Taft, enabling Democrat Woodrow Wilson to secure victory with 41.8% of the popular vote (6,286,820 votes), compared to Roosevelt's 27.4% (4,126,020 votes) and Taft's 23.2% (3,483,922 votes); Roosevelt's platform, emphasizing progressive reforms like trust-busting and women's suffrage, drew primarily from conservative reform-minded Republicans, exceeding Wilson's margin over Taft nationally by over 700,000 votes.^[38]^[39] The 2000 election featured Green Party candidate Ralph Nader receiving 97,421 votes in Florida, surpassing by nearly 200-fold the 537-vote margin (out of 5,963,110 cast) by which Republican George W. Bush defeated Democrat Al Gore; exit polls and post-election surveys indicated that a majority of Nader voters ranked Gore as their second preference over Bush, with Nader's anti-corporate, environmentalist message appealing to left-leaning voters disillusioned by Gore's perceived moderation on trade and climate issues.^[40]^[41] Nader rejected accusations of intentional spoiling, arguing his 2.74% national share reflected systemic flaws in the two-party dominance under first-past-the-post (FPTP) rather than wasted votes.^[42] In 2016, Green Party nominee Jill Stein's vote totals exceeded Donald Trump's margins over Hillary Clinton in three pivotal Rust Belt states: 51,463 votes in Michigan (vs. Trump's 10,704-vote win), 31,072 in Wisconsin (vs. 22,748), and 49,941 in Pennsylvania (vs. 44,292); Stein's anti-war, pro-single-payer healthcare platform mirrored Clinton's on several progressive axes, and surveys showed over 60% of her supporters would have otherwise backed Clinton, underscoring how FPTP amplifies minor candidacies' impact when ideologically proximate to a major contender.^[43]^[44] Stein dismissed spoiler claims as voter suppression tactics, emphasizing empirical evidence of FPTP's tendency to punish third-party expression by concentrating decisive power in narrow margins.^[45] For the 2024 cycle, independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. polled at 8-10% nationally before suspending his campaign on August 23 and endorsing Trump, with battleground surveys indicating his anti-establishment, vaccine-skeptical appeal drew disproportionately from Democratic-leaning independents and younger voters, potentially fragmenting opposition in swing states where margins remained under 2%; post-suspension analyses, including cross-tabulated polling data, estimated his presence could have shifted outcomes by 1-3% in key races absent ranked-choice alternatives, though his ultimate ballot lines in some states garnered under 1% amid legal challenges.^[46]^[47]^[48] Internationally, Canada's 2015 federal election saw the New Democratic Party (NDP) under Tom Mulcair peak at 30-35% in spring polls before collapsing to 19.7% (4.0 million votes), splitting progressive opposition to incumbent Conservatives (31.9%, 5.6 million) and enabling Liberals under Justin Trudeau to surge to a majority with 39.5% (6.4 million); in approximately 20 ridings, NDP shares exceeding 10% correlated with Conservative wins over Liberals by margins under 5%, per riding-level data, illustrating FPTP's amplification of intra-ideological splits despite the NDP's genuine base in labor and social justice issues.^[49]^[50] These cases refute narratives framing third-party votes as inherently "wasted," as empirical margin comparisons reveal FPTP's causal mechanism—wherein candidates drawing 2-5% from similar pools can invert results—exposes incentives for Duverger's law convergence, prioritizing systemic reform over shaming voter preference expression.^[51]

Engineering and Technology

Aerodynamic Spoilers in Vehicles

Aerodynamic spoilers in vehicles are rear-mounted aerodynamic devices designed to modify airflow over the rear of a car, primarily to counteract lift generated by the vehicle's body at high speeds. By inverting the principle of aircraft wings, these structures create downforce that presses the rear wheels onto the road surface, enhancing traction and stability during cornering and braking.^[52] This effect stems from the spoiler's disruption of smooth airflow separation, which would otherwise produce upward lift forces; wind tunnel testing confirms that effective spoilers can reduce rear lift coefficients while generating negative lift (downforce) proportional to vehicle speed squared.^[53] The foundational development of automotive spoilers occurred in motorsport during the 1960s, with American engineer Jim Hall's Chaparral Cars leading innovations. The Chaparral 2F, raced in 1967, featured a large inverted rear wing that produced substantial downforce, revolutionizing race car design by prioritizing aerodynamic grip over drag minimization.^[54] Earlier Chaparral models, like the 2E from 1966, incorporated automatic rear flaps for adjustable downforce, demonstrating early active aerodynamics.^[55] These racing applications influenced production vehicles, where spoilers transitioned from performance enhancers to standard features on high-speed cars by the 1980s. Common types include lip spoilers, which are subtle extensions integrated into the trunk lid for mild downforce with minimal drag penalty; pedestal or wing-style spoilers, mounted higher for greater aerodynamic authority; and active spoilers, which deploy automatically at speed thresholds. Porsche's 911 models exemplify active systems, with rear wings on the 911 Turbo S since 2020 increasing downforce by 15% compared to prior iterations, activating above approximately 150 km/h to balance stability and efficiency.^[56] Such mechanisms use sensors and hydraulics or electric actuators to adjust angle, optimizing for conditions like highway cruising or track use.^[57] In contemporary electric vehicles, spoilers contribute to high-speed handling; the Tesla Model S Plaid, introduced in 2021, employs a fixed rear lip spoiler alongside underbody diffusers to maintain stability during top-speed runs exceeding 320 km/h, as evidenced in Nürburgring testing. Benefits include improved safety through reduced tendency to oversteer or lift off in crosswinds, with downforce directly correlating to higher cornering speeds via increased tire normal force.^[58] However, spoilers inherently raise aerodynamic drag—studies show increases of up to 5%—which elevates fuel or energy consumption, particularly in non-performance driving.^[59] Post-1973 oil crisis regulations, including U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards enacted in 1975, indirectly scrutinized such add-ons by prioritizing drag reduction for compliance, curbing their proliferation on economy models amid rising fuel costs.^[60] Additional drawbacks encompass potential wind noise at low speeds and added weight, though these are outweighed in racing contexts where grip gains enable faster lap times.^[61]

Spoilers in Aviation and Other Applications

In aviation, spoilers consist of hinged panels mounted on the upper surface of an aircraft's wings that deploy upward into the airflow to disrupt smooth flow over the wing, thereby reducing lift and increasing drag.^[5]^[62] This mechanism enables pilots to control descent rates more precisely than with thrust reduction alone, aids in roll control by differentially deploying spoilers on one wing to assist ailerons, and supports banking maneuvers without excessive speed buildup.^[63] Early applications appeared in gliders during the interwar period for airbrake functions, with powered aircraft adopting them during World War II for roll augmentation, as in the Northrop P-61 Black Widow's spoilerons that extended aileron effectiveness at high speeds. By the mid-20th century, spoilers became integral to jet aircraft designs, facilitating high-speed operations and precise control in swept-wing configurations. Ground spoilers, a specialized subset, deploy automatically or manually upon touchdown to "dump" remaining lift, transferring aircraft weight to the landing gear tires for enhanced braking friction and aerodynamic drag.^[64] This action shortens required stopping distances by counteracting the lift generated by flaps and high angles of attack during landing rollout, with Federal Aviation Administration guidance emphasizing their role in mitigating overruns on contaminated runways.^[64] Proper deployment ensures weight-on-wheels sooner, improving tire-road adhesion and reverse thrust effectiveness, though inoperative ground spoilers can extend landing distances substantially due to persistent lift.^[65] Despite their utility, spoiler systems carry risks, particularly from asymmetric deployment due to mechanical or hydraulic failures, which can induce sudden roll moments by unequally reducing lift across wings, potentially overwhelming aileron authority and leading to loss of control if not countered promptly.^[66] Modern aircraft incorporate redundancies like independent hydraulic circuits and pilot overrides to minimize such failures, rendering spoilers indispensable for safe, efficient flight in high-performance regimes where passive aerodynamics alone prove inadequate. Beyond aviation, spoilers find application in wind turbine rotor blades to manage airflow separation and load distribution. These devices, often positioned near the blade root or trailing edge, deploy to alter pressure gradients, reducing stall risks at high wind speeds or mitigating fatigue loads during gusts.^[67] Experimental designs, such as those using glass-fiber-reinforced polymer trailing-edge spoilers, have demonstrated up to 6% increases in annual energy production by optimizing flow attachment, while also potentially extending blade lifespan through controlled vortex shedding.^[68] However, their structural impacts require careful integration to avoid excessive vibrations or torque imbalances, as validated in computational fluid dynamics studies and full-scale tests.^[69]

Other Contexts

Sports and Competition

In professional sports leagues featuring playoff qualification based on regular-season records, such as the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB), a spoiler game arises when a team eliminated from postseason contention defeats a rival still competing for a playoff berth or seeding advantage, thereby disrupting the contender's standings.^[70] This dynamic stems from fixed schedules requiring all teams to complete their games irrespective of elimination, allowing non-contenders to influence outcomes through competitive play motivated by pride, contracts, or rivalry.^[71] In game-theoretic terms, it reflects a multi-stage contest where early losers can still alter the final hierarchy among survivors, though empirical quantification of standings shifts remains sparse due to confounding variables like injuries and scheduling.^[72] Notable examples abound in the NFL, where late-season spoiler victories by out-of-contention teams can eliminate playoff hopefuls; for instance, in 2011, the New York Giants, themselves fighting for survival, historically disrupted unbeaten opponents like the New England Patriots, contributing to broader seeding chaos.^[73] In MLB's wild-card era since 1995, non-contenders have repeatedly upended contenders' hopes, such as the Oakland Athletics' 5-8 record against the Houston Astros in 2025, which factored into Houston's tiebreaker loss for an American League wild-card spot despite the Astros' 87-75 finish.^[74] Similarly, the Washington Nationals targeted the New York Mets in September 2025 as spoilers in the National League East wild-card race, highlighting how eliminated teams can pivot to indirect impacts on divisional rivals.^[75] Proponents of the spoiler role argue it upholds game integrity by ensuring every match retains stakes—whether for contenders' positioning or eliminated teams' morale and psychological edges—preventing lopsided exhibitions that erode fan interest and competitive balance.^[76] Critics, drawing from sports economics analyses, contend it disincentivizes maximal effort from eliminated squads post-elimination, as players may prioritize personal stats or future contracts over collective disruption, exacerbating tanking incentives where teams intentionally underperform for draft advantages rather than spoiling.^[77] This tension fuels debates on structural reforms, such as adjusted schedules or incentives, to mitigate perceived unfairness to high-stakes contenders while preserving the causal realism of interdependent league outcomes.^[78]

Miscellaneous Uses

In computer security, "SPOILER" refers to a vulnerability affecting Intel Core processors from the first generation (2006) onward, disclosed in March 2019, which exploits weaknesses in the proprietary memory subsystem's address speculation mechanism during speculative execution.^[79] Unlike Spectre variants that rely on branch prediction, SPOILER targets cache-timing side channels to potentially leak sensitive data, though Intel assessed it as lower risk without direct secret disclosure and issued no immediate mitigations beyond existing speculative execution defenses.^[80]^[81] Colloquially, "spoiler" describes overindulgent parents or caregivers who excessively gratify children's demands, fostering dependency and entitlement rather than self-reliance, a usage rooted in the verb "spoil" meaning to impair or ruin character through lack of discipline.^[82] This application appears in parenting discussions, where such behavior is critiqued for undermining long-term emotional resilience, as seen in analyses warning that fulfilling every request deprives children of opportunities to develop intrinsic motivation.^[83] In family systems theory, the "spoiler" may also denote a dysfunctional child archetype that perpetuates dependency by sabotaging parental boundaries, maintaining family equilibrium at the cost of individual growth.^[84]

References

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A “spoiler” is a candidate who has no chance of winning, but whose candidacy still impacts the outcome of the election. A spoiler candidate draws votes away ...
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noun · a person or thing that spoils. · a person who robs or ravages; despoiler; plunderer. Aeronautics., a device used to break up the airflow ...
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a device on a car or aircraft that is positioned so that it stops the air from flowing around the vehicle in a smooth way and so helps to control it.
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Spoilers are small, hinged plates on the top portion of wings. Spoilers can be used to slow an aircraft, or to make an aircraft descend, if they are deployed on ...
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Originating c. 1300 from Anglo-French and Latin spoliare, "spoil" means to strip, plunder, or seize goods, especially booty taken in war or conquest.
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There are ten meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun spoiler. See 'Meaning & use' for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
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In biblical terms, the concept of a "spoiler" can be understood as one who despoils, plunders, or brings ruin. The term is often associated with destruction ...
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SPOILER definition in American English - Collins Dictionary
A spoiler is an object which forms part of the body of a vehicle. It changes the flow of air around the vehicle, making forward movement more efficient.
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Spoiler - Etymology, Origin & Meaning
Originating c. 1400 from spoil (v.), spoiler means one who robs or plunders; later, one who disrupts victory chances, or reveals plot details, spoiling the ...
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Aug 18, 2023 · Aircraft spoilers are designed for more than one purpose. They were added to airplanes around the 1940s and have always been very effective at ...
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The phrase "spoiler alert" first appears in a posting about the second Star Trek movie, The Wrath of Khan, in 1982. I first encountered spoiler alerts when I ...
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Aug 11, 2011 · An experimental study finds that, contrary to popular wisdom, people actually prefer reading a story whose ending they know in advance.
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May 24, 2016 · According to research by UC San Diego psychology professor Nicholas Christenfeld, spoilers don't ruin a story: They make you enjoy it even more.
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[PDF] The Role of Different Spoiler Types in the Experience of Short Stories
May 5, 2025 · Research conducted to understand the influence of spoilers on the enjoyment of short stories has produced mixed results.<|separator|>
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Jan 22, 2013 · Why spoiler fear matters. This is not just a pet peeve of mine. It has a serious effect on the quality of book reviews and literary discussions.
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Oct 1, 2025 · Stephanie Brown was created by Chuck Dixon and Tom Lyle where she made her first appearance in Detective Comics v1 #647 (August, 1992). The ...
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May 23, 2012 · This figure in purple and blue was quickly unmasked as Cluemaster's teenage daughter, Stephanie Brown. From Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #648 (1992).
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Rex Beach, The Spoilers (1906) - Buddies in the Saddle
Jul 17, 2014 · Its story was based on actual events and portrays attempts by crooked lawyers, politicians, and a judge to jump claims of legitimate miners ...
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The Spoilers (1942) - IMDb
Rating 6.7/10 (3,543) In Nome, Alaska, miner Roy Glennister and his partner Dextry, financed by saloon entertainer Cherry Malotte, fight to save their gold claim.
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The Spoilers (1955) - IMDb
Rating 6/10 (592) The 1942 version with Marlenea Deitrich, and John Wayne is better that this one for star power. The 1930 version starring Gary Cooper was once in a late show ...
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Oct 26, 2012 · There are at least three bands named Spoiler: 1) Dutch stoner rock band 2) Swedish pop band 3) An indie rock band from New York City.
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SPOILER, London. 1098 likes. Essex-based SPOILER concoct a vicious blend of modern metalcore, nu-metal and deathcore.
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SPOILERS - ROUNDABOUTS - YouTube
Jul 27, 2018 · The first video and title track to the 2018 SPOILERS full album release ROUNDABOUTS ... Spoilers - Stay Afloat - Official Music Video.<|control11|><|separator|>
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Jun 11, 2024 · ... plurality voting systems and has prompted discussions about electoral reform to mitigate its impact. Approval voting stops the spoiler ...
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What is the spoiler effect and how does approval voting deal with it?
The spoiler effect is when a candidate (A) that has little chance of winning is similar to one of the two major frontrunners in a race (B & C).
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This phenomenon is known as the spoiler effect, and is a common occurrence in American elections featuring minor parties. ... Duverger's law is not a law in the ...<|separator|>
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Electoral reforms like ranked choice voting aim to diversify political representation. Understanding these systems is key to grasping party politics and ...
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Presidential Election of 1912 - 270toWin.com
1912 Election Results. Candidate, Party, Electoral Votes, Popular Votes. ✓. Woodrow Wilson, Democratic, 435, 6,293,454. Theodore Roosevelt, Progressive, 88 ...
[40]
Did Ralph Nader or Florida's Butterfly Ballot Cost Al Gore the 2000 ...
This report based primarily on math investigates whether third party candidate Ralph Nader or a confusing ballot design in Florida led to George W. Bush ...
[41]
2000 | The American Presidency Project
2000 ; Republican, election party winner, George W. Bush, Richard Cheney ; Democratic, Albert Gore, Jr. Joseph Lieberman ; Green, Ralph Nader, Winona LaDuke ...
[42]
Three's a crowd? The Nader vote in the 2000 presidential, election ...
This research examines Ralph Nader's “urban strategy” to win 5% of the vote for president and the bases of his electoral support.
[43]
Trump's victory margin smaller than total Stein votes in key swing ...
Dec 1, 2016 · In two key states that President-elect Donald Trump won, his margin of victory was smaller than the total number of votes for Green Party nominee Jill Stein.
[44]
Jill Stein and the 2016 Popular Vote Revisited - Smart Politics
Feb 19, 2018 · It is well-established that the number of votes Stein received in each of three key states – Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – outnumbered Trump's ...<|separator|>
[45]
Did Jill Stein voters deliver Donald Trump the presidency? | Vox
Nov 11, 2016 · A study by two political scientists, Kyle Kopko and Christopher Devine, on whether Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein's voters could have swung the ...
[46]
R.F.K. Jr. Is 2024's X Factor, New Polls Show, Fueled by Young ...
May 14, 2024 · Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is polling stronger than any third-party candidate has in decades, pulling in roughly 10 percent of registered voters across the ...
[47]
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the spoiler effect - FairVote Action
On August 23, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. suspended his 2024 presidential election campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump.
[48]
Will RFK Jr. play spoiler at the state level? New polling says … maybe.
Apr 19, 2024 · Close races in swing states remain close even with independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the mix.
[49]
2015 Federal Election Results - CBC
Oct 20, 2015 · Justin Trudeau's Liberals won a decisive majority government, capturing 184 seats. The Conservatives, who were seeking their fourth consecutive mandate, will ...
[50]
The 2015 Canadian federal election, explained | Vox
Aug 6, 2015 · Topping the polls right now is Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Party, which is enjoying a stunning renaissance after a near-death experience that ...
[51]
What is the “spoiler effect” and how do we solve it? - RepresentUs
May 13, 2022 · Perhaps the most well-known example is the 2000 Presidential Election. In Florida and New Hampshire, Green Party nominee Ralph Nader received ...
[52]
https://www.verus-engineering.com/blog/informative-8/how-do-rear-wings-for-cars-work-137
[53]
A Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of the Effects of ...
Oct 20, 2024 · Front spoilers reduce air resistance and improve airflow under the car ... aerodynamic forces in wind tunnel experiments using components balance.
[54]
Chaparral 2F: Jim Hall's winged wonder - Motor Sport Magazine
Oct 28, 2020 · Using wings to create downforce had been attempted in the '50s but, as Doug Nye explains, it was Jim Hall's advanced Chaparral 2F from 1967 ...
[55]
The Chaparral 2E Was A Guiding Light in Race Car Aerodynamics
Oct 31, 2016 · The Chaparral 2E paved the way for aerodynamics in motorsports with active aero in the '60s.
[56]
New 911 Turbo S: the ideal aerodynamic setup for every driving ...
Apr 15, 2020 · The newly designed active front spoiler and rear wing have increased the downforce by 15 percent to guarantee enhanced driving stability and dynamics at higher ...
[57]
https://www.elferspot.com/en/magazine/porsche-active-aerodynamics-paa/
[58]
How Form Meets Function: The Science Behind Car Spoilers and ...
Jul 16, 2025 · Car spoilers are aerodynamic devices that control the flow of air around a car to make it more stable, lower its lift, and improve its grip, especially when ...
[59]
(PDF) Effect of Spoilers on Aerodynamic Properties of Car
Mar 21, 2018 · methods. They found that addition of spoiler increases the drag by 5 % and reduces lift by 7 %. per their study the drag reduces by an average ...
[60]
The Event That Changed The American Automotive Landscape ...
Sep 28, 2024 · The Clean Air Act and the oil crisis, including the 1973 and 1979 oil shocks, were key events that changed the American automotive landscape.
[61]
Does installing spoiler behind cars increase fuel consumption?
Sep 21, 2020 · Spoilers (loosely using the word) can increase downforce, which generally will also increase drag, and reduce fuel efficiency.Does a spoiler help or hurt gas mileage? - QuoraHow does a car spoiler reduce drag? - QuoraMore results from www.quora.comMissing: noise | Show results with:noise
[62]
Spoilers And Speedbrakes | SKYbrary Aviation Safety
Spoilers are panels mounted on the upper surface of the wing that, when extended, both increase drag and decrease lift by disrupting the airflow over the wing.
[63]
Wing Spoilers: How Destroying Lift Helps You Fly - Boldmethod
May 7, 2015 · Wing spoilers destroy lift to slow down, help bank, and aid in faster ground stops by increasing drag.
[64]
Spoileron - Wikipedia
An early use of spoilers augmenting small ailerons, known as guide ailerons, was in the Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter. The spoilers allowed wider ...
[65]
[PDF] AC 91-79A - Federal Aviation Administration
Feb 20, 2018 · (2) Prompt and proper operation of all means of deceleration has a major influence on landing distances. Spoilers greatly decrease lift, dump ...
[66]
[PDF] FSF ALAR Briefing Note 8.3 -- Landing Distances
Increased landing distance because of inoperative ground spoilers (lift-dumping capability); and,. • Increased landing distance because of inoperative normal.
[67]
Asymmetric Flaps | SKYbrary Aviation Safety
In this case, it is possible that the induced roll could exceed the amount of aileron authority available and could result in a spin or other loss of control ...
[68]
High-Reynolds-number wind turbine blade equipped with root ...
Aug 30, 2022 · The outcome shows that spoilers, on average, can increase the AEP of the turbine. However, the structural impacts on the turbine can be severe ...
[69]
GFRP trailing edge spoilers for rotor blades achieve 6% AEP increase
Feb 10, 2021 · The retrofittable Evoflap spoiler improves flow, offers load reduction and could potentially extend wind turbine service life.
[70]
[PDF] High-Reynolds-number wind turbine blade equipped with root spoilers
Mar 21, 2022 · A dominant peak frequency is emerging in the aerodynamic polar coefficients, when adding a spoiler, which corresponds to a vortex shedding ...
[71]
Which AFC and NFC teams will play spoiler? - NFL.com
Dec 28, 2018 · Which AFC and NFC teams will play spoiler? The "NFL Total Access" crew discuss which team will play spoiler in the AFC and the NFC.
[72]
Spoiler Role a Byproduct of Bucs' Goals - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One probably has to go back to 1996 to find a true example of a "spoiler" win for the Buccaneers, when a Tampa Bay team out of contention beat a contending team ...Missing: definition | Show results with:definition
[73]
Ask not what economics can do for sports - ScienceDirect.com
In this article we list the advantages of using sports data for economic research. We also provide a rich overview of economic literature that used sports data.
[74]
Giants Have a History as Spoilers Against Unbeaten Teams
Dec 3, 2011 · The Giants have history as spoilers. Coach Tom Coughlin, left, and Eli Manning beat Tom Brady, right, and the unbeaten Patriots in the Super Bowl.<|separator|>
[75]
The biggest 'spoilers' in MLB history
Sep 28, 2025 · Wild Card Era (1995-present). 2025 Astros (87-75, lost tiebreaker for AL Wild Card) Spoiler: 5-8 vs. Athletics (76-86) Houston appeared to be ...
[76]
Nationals Aim to Play Spoiler as Mets Fight for Final Wild Card Spot
Sep 19, 2025 · Washington is out of the race, but their series with the Mets could shake up the playoff picture in the NL East.
[77]
Heyward Doesn't Give A Damn About Playing Spoiler - Steelers Depot
Dec 29, 2022 · If certain results in the afternoon go the wrong way, they could be eliminated prior to kickoff, but otherwise, they remain alive with two games ...
[78]
Exploring Incentives to Lose in Professional Team Sports
This paper analyses whether managers save efforts in the absence of financial incentives or ahead of more important games. The theoretical model extends ...Missing: spoiler disincentivizing
[79]
A predictive analytics model for forecasting outcomes in the National ...
In this study, we construct predictive analytics models to forecast the NFL games outcomes in a season using decision trees and logistics regression.Missing: spoiler | Show results with:spoiler
[80]
All Intel chips open to new Spoiler non-Spectre attack - ZDNET
Mar 5, 2019 · Like the Spectre and Meltdown attacks revealed in January 2018, Spoiler also abuses speculative execution in Intel chips to leak secrets.
[81]
More Information on Spoiler - Intel
Mar 1, 2019 · The SPOILER exploit, by itself, does not reveal secret data, and is not a speculative execution side channel method. After careful assessment, ...
[82]
Intel Downplays 'Spoiler' CPU Flaw In New Security Advisory
Apr 11, 2019 · Spoiler is yet another security vulnerability affecting Intel's Core CPUs that attackers can use to steal sensitive information. Unlike Spectre ...
[83]
Spoiler Alert - Quick and Dirty Tips
Spoiler Alert. While it may seem that the child is spoiled because he has all of the toys he asks for, it's not always the case. By. Cherylyn Feierabend.
[84]
Spoiler Alert — The Parenting Style To Avoid if You Want To Raise ...
Mar 16, 2022 · Spoiler alert: If parents provide their children with everything they request, they steal from them the opportunity to generate that for ...
[85]
Dysfunctional Family Roles, Part I: The Spoiler
Feb 6, 2011 · The spoiler child refuses to grow up, remains dependent in some way on the parent or a parent surrogate, and ruins everything the parents try to ...