The term spoiler comes from the English verb To spoil, which means to spoil. In practice, this concept has two totally different applications: in relation to automobiles and, the most common, in the world of fiction.
Spoiler understood as a spoiler on a car
A spoiler is a spoiler that is attached to a vehicle with the intention of making it look sportier and more aerodynamic. This type of accessory is part of the culture of tuning, the personalization of vehicles (tuning can be translated as adjustment).
In the world of cinema and entertainment
In fiction, spoiling means announcing the plot or a key part of it in advance. When this event occurs, the plot is revealed and whoever receives the information may lose interest partially or completely. This phenomenon is applicable to movies, television series or any work of fiction.
The explosion with the arrival of new technologies
The first news about the spoiler dates back to the 70s, when the American press began to deal with this issue in relation to some films. However, with the emergence of new technologies, the spoiler has acquired a new dimension. New communication systems (for example, SMS, Facebook or Twitter) allow information to be disseminated quickly, which means that the content of some works of fiction can be known in advance. In this sense, being the victim of a spoiler has obvious consequences but it is a reality that can hardly be solved.
Reflection on the word spoiler, Alternatives that share the same meaning
In our language there is no equivalent word. Instead you can use the verb gut, ruin, or it could even be expressed by saying that the argument has been revealed. Spoiler alternatives are not very suitable.
From this point of view, this Anglicism makes a lot of sense. Something similar happens with the word football, since it would not seem very reasonable to call it football (although in Spain there are some teams with this name).
Anglicisms
The use of anglicisms generates a certain debate. For some, its massive incorporation degenerates the language and in many cases it is totally unnecessary (ok you could say ok, sponsor instead of sponsor, fashion instead of fashion, among many other examples). However, there are those who consider that it is a logical process typical of globalization, so they understand that it should be assumed normally.
It is not easy to adopt a precise criterion to accept an Anglicism or not. In any case, some linguists consider that if a valid and accepted term already exists in our language, there is no reason to introduce another that belongs to a different language.
