At the top of a sheer sea cliff at sunset, a small furious man throws up his arms beside a giant and a swordsman while a figure in black climbs the rope far below.

Original artwork, not a still

Vizzini

Inconceivable!

— The Princess Bride ‧ 1987

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Vizzini's pet word for every setback, and the film's best running gag: the man who calls himself a genius cannot see that the word keeps failing to mean what he thinks. Inigo's dry reply, that he does not think it means that, turned the exchange into the stock way to tease anyone misusing a big word, and it is still the line fans quote first.

Context reviewed

In context

Spoilers for The Princess BrideShow the scene

It's Vizzini's catchphrase, shouted whenever the world refuses to go his way, and the Man in Black pursuing his kidnap party gives him plenty of chances. The most famous comes when Vizzini cuts the rope the stranger is climbing up the Cliffs of Insanity and sees him still clinging on. "You keep using that word," Inigo replies. "I do not think it means what you think it means."

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Context reviewed

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