What is "spoiler"

Spoiler \Spoil"er\ (spoil"[~e]r), n.

1. One who spoils; a plunderer; a pillager; a robber; a despoiler.

2. One who corrupts, mars, or renders useless.

3. (Aeronautics) A device attached to the wing of an airplane or other airfoil, which breaks the smooth flow of air during flight and decreases the lift of the airfoil; -- used to control the attitude of the airplane during banking or descent.

4. A device attached to a car to decrease lift and increase traction, usually shaped as a flat surface and attached above the rear of the car, and working on the same principal as the aircraft spoiler[3].

1530s, "one who robs or plunders," agent noun from spoil (v.). Meaning "one who mars another's chance at victory" is attested from 1950 in U.S. politics, perhaps from boxing. Aeronautics sense is from 1928, because the flap thwarts the "lift" on the plane; transferred to structures serving a similar purpose on speedboats (1957) and motor vehicles (1963). Meaning "information about the plot of a movie, etc., which might 'spoil' it for one who has not seen it" is attested by 1982.

n. 1 One who spoils; a plunderer; a pillager; a robber; a despoiler. 2 One who corrupts, mars, or renders useless. 3 A document, review or comment that discloses the ending or some key surprise or twist in a story. 4 (context aeronautics English) A device to reduce lift. 5 (context automobiles English) A device to reduce lift and increase downforce 6 (context US chiefly politics sports English) An individual (or organisation etc.), unable to win themselves, who spoils the chances of another's victory. 7 (context trading card games English) A comprehensive list of objects and their characteristics.

1. n. a candidate with no chance of winning but who may draw enough votes to prevent one of the leading candidates from winning

2. someone who takes spoils or plunder (as in war) [syn: plunderer, pillager, looter, despoiler, raider, freebooter]

3. someone who pampers or spoils by excessive indulgence [syn: pamperer, coddler, mollycoddler]

4. an airfoil mounted on the rear of a car to reduce lift at high speeds

5. a hinged airfoil on the upper surface of an aircraft wing that is raised to reduce lift and increase drag

A spoiler is an element of a disseminated summary or description of any piece of fiction that reveals any plot elements which threaten to give away important details concerning the turn of events of a dramatic episode. Typically, the details of the conclusion of the plot, including the climax and ending, are especially regarded as spoiler material. It can also be used to refer to any piece of information regarding any part of a given media that a potential consumer would not want to know beforehand. Because enjoyment of fiction depends a great deal upon the suspense of revealing plot details through standard narrative progression, the prior revelation of how things will turn out can "spoil" the enjoyment that some consumers of the narrative would otherwise have experienced. Spoilers can be found in message boards, articles, reviews, commercials, and movie trailers.

In aeronautics, a spoiler (sometimes called a lift spoiler or lift dumper) is a device intended to intentionally reduce the lift component of an airfoil in a controlled way. Most often, spoilers are plates on the top surface of a wing that can be extended upward into the airflow to spoil it. By so doing, the spoiler creates a controlled stall over the portion of the wing behind it, greatly reducing the lift of that wing section. Spoilers differ from airbrakes in that airbrakes are designed to increase drag without affecting lift, while spoilers reduce lift as well as increasing drag.

Spoilers fall into two categories: those that are deployed at controlled angles during flight to increase descent rate or control roll, and those that are fully deployed immediately on landing to greatly reduce lift ("lift dumpers") and increase drag. In modern fly-by-wire aircraft, the same set of control surfaces serve both functions.

Spoilers are used by nearly every glider (sailplane) to control their rate of descent and thus achieve a controlled landing. An increased rate of descent can also be achieved by lowering the nose of an aircraft, but this would result in increased speed. Spoilers enable the approach to be made at a safe speed for landing.

Airliners are almost always fitted with spoilers. Spoilers are used to increase descent rate without increasing speed. Their use is often limited, however, as the turbulent airflow that develops behind them causes noise and vibration, which may cause discomfort to passengers. Spoilers may also be differentially operated for roll control instead of ailerons; Martin Aircraft was the first company to develop such spoilers in 1948. On landing, however, the spoilers are nearly always fully deployed to help slow the aircraft. The increase in form drag created by the spoilers directly assists the braking effect. However, the real gain comes as the spoilers cause a dramatic loss of lift and hence the weight of the aircraft is transferred from the wings to the undercarriage, allowing the wheels to be mechanically braked with less tendency to skid.

In air-cooled piston engine aircraft, spoilers may be needed to avoid shock cooling the engines. In a descent without spoilers, air speed is increased and the engine will be at low power, producing less heat than normal. The engine may cool too rapidly, resulting in stuck valves, cracked cylinders or other problems. Spoilers alleviate the situation by allowing the aircraft to descend at a desired rate while letting the engine run at a power setting that keeps it from cooling too quickly (especially true for turbocharged piston engines, which generate higher temperatures than normally aspirated engines).

Spoiler may refer to:

• Spoiler (aeronautics), a device to reduce lift in aeronautics
• Spoiler (automotive), a device to modify air flow in order to increase fuel efficiency or improve handling in automobiles
• Spoiler (sports), a team that has been eliminated from the playoffs, and beats a team that required that win to advance
• Spoiler (media), a comment which discloses plot details of a book, play, video game, or film, or is intended to distract attention from a rival
• Spoiler (comics), a secondary character in the DC comic book Robin
• Spoiler (film), a 1998 Sci-Fi film
• Spoilers (web series), an "anti-movie review" show hosted by Kevin Smith
• Spoiler effect, an individual unable to win an election or game for him- or herself, but with the power to determine which player among two or more others will win
• Mighty Spoiler, a popular calypso singer
• Don Jardine, a professional wrestler also known as "the Spoiler"
• The Spoiler (album) a 1966 album by jazz saxophonist Stanley Turrentine
• The Spoiler (novel), a 2011 novel by Annalena McAfee

A spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to 'spoil' unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion, usually described as turbulence or drag. Spoilers on the front of a vehicle are often called air dams. Spoilers are often fitted to race and high-performance sports cars, although they have become common on passenger vehicles as well. Some spoilers are added to cars primarily for styling purposes and have either little aerodynamic benefit or even make the aerodynamics worse.

The term "spoiler" is often mistakenly used interchangeably with "wing". An automotive wing is a device whose intended design is to generate downforce as air passes around it, not simply disrupt existing airflow patterns. As such, rather than decreasing drag, automotive wings actually increase drag.

Spoiler is an American action, Sci-Fi film that takes place in New York in the far future.