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spoiler

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An archaic noun for a plunderer, thief, or despoiler; used in historical or tragic verse for those who strip or ruin others.

Detailed Definition
In this poem, “spoiler” does not mean something that reveals a plot. It uses an older sense for a thief or plunderer, describing the person who stole the second-hand clothing before it reached the seller.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Domestic spoiler” — John Milton, “Paradise Lost”; In older usage, a spoiler is one who plunders or ruins, not one who reveals a plot; “The spoiler” enters the city as a destructive invader; The poem names war a spoiler of homes and harvests
Additional Notes
The quoted “Domestic spoiler” uses an older meaning—plunderer or thief—that differs from the familiar modern sense.; Found in the poem, London's Summer Morning by Mary Robinson
Also Known As
destroyer saboteur underminer spoiler alert
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