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A spoiler is the premature divulgence of an important story element, to an individual who has not yet experienced the whole work. A "spoiler alert" is a courteous warning that the discussion that follows will give away details that may lessen the impact for those people who enjoy surprises.While the study of literature is, from start to finish, a veritable carnival of spoilers, some online newsgroups take spoilers very seriously.
Example:
The year is 1980; it is Friday afternoon, one day after the premiere of The Empire Strikes Back. A sixth-grader plans to see the movie after school. Some jerkwad kid whose parents must have let him skip school to wait in line the previous day bursts into the room, shouting, "Hey, everybody, Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father!"
(I'm still a little bitter about that, by the way.)
See: hints, walkthrough