Aghast (adv.)

aghast







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–adjective

struck with overwhelming shock or amazement; filled with sudden fright or horror: They [stood] aghast at the sight of the plane crashing. 





　

[Aghast] that Raymond is to receive his father's entire legacy, Charlie tries to cut a deal with Raymond's guardian. When this fails, Charlie "borrows" Raymond from the institution where he lives, hoping to use his brother as [leverage] to claim half the fortune. 



During their subsequent cross-country odyssey, Charlie is forced to accommodate Raymond's various autistic idiosyncracies, not the least of which is his insistence on adhering [to] a rigid daily schedule: he must, for example, watch People's Court and Jeopardy every day at the same time, no matter what. 



On [hitting] Las Vegas, Charlie hopes to [harness] Raymond's finely-honed mathematical skills [to] win big at the gaming tables; but this exploitation of his brother's affliction compels Charlie to reassess his own values, or lack thereof. 



A longtime pet project of star Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man was turned down by several high-profile directors before Barry Levinson took on the challenge of bringing Ronald Bass' screenplay to fruition (Levinson also appears in the film as a psychiatrist). All three men won Oscars, and the movie won Best Picture.





serendipitous

serendipitous scientific [discov]eries. 

Although Spielberg said he wanted to give Tom Hanks the time and space to develop elaborate situations like Tati [serendipit]ously blundered through

Detest