Robin Williams (1951-2014) Tribute List

Robin Williams died on August 11, 2014 at the age of 62. For many people who watched him perform, either as a frenetic stand-up comic or on his television show "Mork & Mindy," he defined funny. In interviews and onstage, his wit was razor-sharp and it seemed that his spirit was impossible to contain. Later in his career he took some serious roles, even winning an Oscar for "Good Will Hunting." Here are ten vocabulary words from Williams' movies: funny, moving and inspirational, often all at once. Just like him.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. endeavor
    a purposeful or industrious undertaking
    Language was invented for one reason, boys... to woo women — and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do.
    —"Dead Poets Society"
  2. dinghy
    a small boat of shallow draft
    Oh, what am I? Some kind of barnacle on the dinghy of life? Oh, I ain't no doctors, but I knows that I'm losing me patience. What am I? ... I'm Popeye the Sailor.
    —"Popeye"
  3. encapsulate
    enclose in or as if in a small container
    You're an orphan right? You think I know the first thing about how hard your life has been, how you feel, who you are, because I read Oliver Twist? Does that encapsulate you?
    —"Good Will Hunting"
  4. disclaimer
    denial of any connection with or knowledge of
    They should have a little disclaimer that says "Do Not Operate Heavy Machinery While Watching This Show." Incredible. This guy used to put me to sleep when I was a kid. Amazing. He has the warmth of a snow pea. He makes Mister Rogers look like Mick Jagger.
    —"Mrs. Doubtfire"
  5. lithe
    moving and bending with ease
    The sure stride of lithe, powerful steps, that around the smallest of circles turns, is like a dance of pure energy about a center, in which a great will stands numbed. Only occasionally, without a sound, do the covers of the eyes slide open-. An image rushes in, goes through the tensed silence of the frame- only to vanish, forever, in the heart.
    —"Awakenings"
  6. strive
    attempt by employing effort
    Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." Don't be resigned to that. Break out!
    —"Dead Poets Society"
  7. psychopath
    a person with an antisocial personality disorder
    I can't help you. I work for Senor Psychopath now!
    —"Aladdin"
  8. ineptitude
    unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training
    Come on, Scott, you're still young! Being a true loser takes years of ineptitude.
    —"Father's Day"
  9. ostentatious
    intended to attract notice and impress others
    I need a wife to be my escort for the debate. We could find a nice house on Pennsylvania Avenue, nothing ostentatious. Helicopter pad in the back yard, couple of thousand phone lines, staff of 60...
    —"Man of the Year"
  10. iota
    a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
    Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? — Carpe — hear it? — Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.
    —"Dead Poets Society"
Created on Mon Aug 11 19:51:01 EDT 2014 (updated Mon Aug 11 22:19:49 EDT 2014)

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