Judge Dread Simon Cowell is letting "Extra" in on an "Idol" secret: he tries to give contestants a heads up that they could be in for a grilling.

"I go in to meet them [contestants] beforehand and say, 'Hi, how are you? Excited? Yes? To warn you guys, in case you haven't seen the show, if you're not very good we may criticize you. Is that a problem?' Answer, 'No.'" Simon told "Extra." "Then they come in, we criticize them and they go nuts."

But has he tried to extend his vocabulary beyond "ghastly," "awful" and "disastrous?"

Simon shrugged, "How many ways are there of saying you're terrible?"

The trainwrecks pull into the San Diego station when "Idol" returns tomorrow night on FOX.