# How do I look at the "spoiler"? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 15, 2002, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945 "2002-12-15T21:30:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TwungTister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TwungTister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwungTister)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/1 "2002-12-15T21:30:03Z")
That’s my message too. How do you open up the spoilers? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/2 "2002-12-15T21:42:20Z")
Highlight the text with your cursor. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/3 "2002-12-16T00:02:08Z")
Put the mouse pointer arrow thingie at the beginning of the box. It will change into a large skinny capital letter I. Hold down the left mouse button, and drag the large skinny capital letter I and forth. It will reveal words, just like magic! 😃 Here, practice. [spoiler]Fishermen from several European countries are disrupting shipping between France and England, in a day of protests against drastic cuts in fishing quotas proposed by the European Union. Trawlers are blockading French and Belgian ports, preventing ferries and other commercial boats from sailing in or out. They are also obstructing shipping lanes in the North Sea and along the English Channel, one of the busiest sea lanes in the world. [/spoiler] Wasn’t that fascinating? 😃 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2564693.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2564693.stm) ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/4 "2002-12-16T06:37:33Z")
Or you can also put the mouse pointer arrow thingy anywhere in the black box, watch it change into a skinny letter I, and triple-click on your mouse to get the whole thing. 🙂 F\_X ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/5 "2002-12-16T06:41:32Z")
Just thought I’d say thanks to **Flamsterette\_X** , for “Cool Tip of the Day”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TwungTister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TwungTister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwungTister)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/6 "2002-12-16T15:06:35Z")
Cool! I guess I was clicking the mouse only once, before. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/7 "2002-12-16T15:50:08Z")
If you are in Opera, click the little button on the left of the address bar to change the little `dogeared page' icon to the `cool dude’ icon (or, switch from Author Mode to User Mode). That removes most style, including the background color setting. _Et viola_, you can read spoilers. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/8 "2002-12-16T21:15:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ice Wolf \* > \*\*Just thought I’d say thanks to **Flamsterette\_X** , for “Cool Tip of the Day”. 🙂 \*\* Don’t get many chances to say this… Me, too. ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/9 "2002-12-16T23:01:20Z")
A little caveat to my tip: if you double-click the mouse, you’ll only get one word highlighted. Not much fun if you’re trying to read the whole thing. So when confronted by black boxes obscuring text on this board, make sure you **triple** -click that mouse of yours, boys and girls… 😃 Not a problem, **Ice Wolf** and **DDG**! Always happy to help, and make life a little easier. 🙂 By the way, **Ice Wolf** , thanks for your help in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=150640&highlight=band). I was going to say something similar to the OP of that one, when I noticed you had done what I would have, if I’d even noticed it. Not worth bumping just to thank you in that thread, so I’m doing it here. 🙂 F\_X ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/10 "2002-12-16T23:38:33Z")
You are most welcome. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/11 "2002-12-17T10:43:15Z")
**Derleth** , in the Opera I know and love (V6.2), the “dog-eared page” icon lets you minimize, restore, or close the window, or switch to the next window. I have no idea about how to switch between user & author mode, and usually read the spoiler tag by copying the text somewhere that it can be read – like the quick-reply at the bottom of the page, or, if I anticipate a _ton_ of spoiler tags, into a new document. A pain in the ass, but at least I don’t have to use IE. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Clawman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47c2d/32.png) [@The\_Clawman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Clawman)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/12 "2002-12-17T10:51:56Z")
In a particularly spoiler-heavy thread I tend to (using IE) just use Edit/Select All which reveals the lot. ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/13 "2002-12-17T19:40:06Z")
Or you could always… You know it’s coming… Read the [FAQ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=103503). ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/14 "2002-12-17T21:10:20Z")
Ooh, that’d be a cool way to make all spoilers, **White Lightning**! Then all you’d have to do is hover over it and it’s displayed! On one hand, that might make the spoiler too easy to see. On the other hand, the color it displays on my PC is red, and hard to read. [spoiler][Rosebud was the name of Kane’s sled. It was also rumored to be Hearst’s name for Marion Davies’ naughty bits. Inspector Morse’s first name is Endeavour.]([http://www.straightdope.com](http://www.straightdope.com))[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/15 "2002-12-17T21:14:23Z")
[BOO!](http://www.straightdope.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/16 "2002-12-17T22:25:28Z")
With my browser (IE6), those links in the spoiler box come up as grey-on-black, and therefore visible. So, the thing has its limitations. Interesting … ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/17 "2002-12-17T22:41:34Z")
On this browser at my brother’s (IE 6 also, I believe), those links come up as blue-on-black. Definitely visible. F\_X ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/18 "2002-12-17T22:41:46Z")
They should do that on most browsers as well, but it’s possible to override the link colors, like so: [Webpage du jour](http://www.straightdope.com) gives… [Webpage du jour](http://www.straightdope.com) Of course, you can’t see the spoiler text even when you point to it now. You might be able to trick someone into clicking on it though… ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/19 "2002-12-17T22:47:31Z")
No, you can’t… but you can highlight it! 😃 F\_X ---
**Author:** ![JimOfAllTrades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@JimOfAllTrades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimOfAllTrades)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-look-at-the-spoiler/142945/20 "2002-12-19T00:55:18Z")
In Internet Explorer you can press **Ctrl+A** to highlight everything, all spoilers on the page included. It looks a little messy, but it’s very fast to do. Then click anywhere on the page to clear the highlights. Ugly