An automotive device that redirects airflow, or information that reveals plot details and ruins surprise or suspense.
From 'spoil' (Old French 'espoillier' meaning 'to strip') plus agent suffix '-er'. The automotive meaning developed in the 1960s, while the plot-revealing meaning emerged with mass media culture.
The dual meaning of 'spoiler' reflects modern life's two obsessions - the engineering pursuit of aerodynamic perfection in cars, and our complex relationship with information, where knowing too much can literally 'spoil' our enjoyment of stories and entertainment.
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