English Dictionary
◊ SPOIL
spoil
n 1: (usually plural) valuables taken by violence (especially in
war); "to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy"
2: the act of spoiling [syn: {spoiling}, {spoilage}]
3: the act of stripping and taking by force [syn: {spoliation},
{spoilation}, {despoliation}, {despoilment}]
v 1: make a mess of, destroy or ruin [syn: {botch}, {fumble}, {botch
up}, {muff}, {blow}, {flub}, {screw up}, {ball up}, {blunder},
{muck up}, {bungle}, {fluff}, {bollix}, {bollix up}, {bollocks},
{bollocks up}, {bobble}, {mishandle}, {louse up}, {foul
up}, {mess up}, {fuck up}]
2: become unfit for consumption or use; "the meatt must be
eaten before it spoils" [syn: {go bad}]
3: alter from the original [syn: {corrupt}]
4: treat with excessive indulgence; "grandparents often pamper
the children"; "Let's not mollycoddle our students!" [syn:
{pamper}, {featherbed}, {cosset}, {cocker}, {baby}, {coddle},
{mollycoddle}, {indulge}]
5: to hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of:
"What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's
amazing September surge." [syn: {thwart}, {queer}, {scotch},
{foil}, {cross}, {frustrate}, {baffle}, {bilk}]
6: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of;
thwart [syn: {frustrate}, {thwart}]
7: make imperfect; "nothing marred her beauty" [syn: {mar}, {impair},
{deflower}, {vitiate}]
English Computing Dictionary
◊ DID YOU MEAN SPOILER?
spoiler
1. A remark which reveals important plot elements
from books or movies, thus denying the reader (of the article)
the proper suspense when reading the book or watching the
movie.
2. Any remark which telegraphs the solution of a problem or
puzzle, thus denying the reader the pleasure of working out
the correct answer (see also {interesting}). Either sense
readily forms compounds like "total spoiler", "quasi-spoiler"
and even "pseudo-spoiler".
By convention, {Usenet} news articles which are spoilers in
either sense should contain the word "spoiler" in the Subject:
line, or guarantee via various tricks that the answer appears
only after several screens-full of warning, or conceal the
sensitive information via {rot13}, or some combination of
these techniques.
[{Jargon File}]
(1995-01-18)
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