outcomes advanced

defensive, put up this great big barrier, get on with your work

(I've tried to talk to him about it, but) he always just gets really defensive and puts up this great big barrier and basically just tells me to get on with my work

laid-back about

- I mean, I see him throwing a frisbee around with people outside the hall or sitting AROUND smoking, but I've never seen him go to any lectures or anything, and he just seems ... well ... extremely laid-back about it. - To the point of horizontal, then, eh?

not make a thing of it

- So she's a bit older than you, then. - Yeah, but she certainly doesn't make a thing of it.

have been through the biggest changes since...

Which people you know have been through the biggest changes since you've known them?

raise your voice

Would you mind not raising your voice like that?

cynic/cynical

You're just a cynic

suck up to sb, get ahead

all they're interested in is sucking up to whoever is above them in order to get ahead

remain calm

always remain calm

cause problems for local people, discourage inward investment and tourism

apart from causing problems for local people, all of this also discouraged inward investment and tourism to the city

arrive on time for ...

arrive on time for a date

encourage sb

encourage sb

have a clue, expected of ..., drag ... down

he doesn't seem to HAVE A CLUE how the department should work or WHAT'S EXPECTED OF HIM and he's DRAGGING the whole team DOWN WITH him

approachable, take notice

he isn't exactly the most approachable person and from what I've heard he wouldn't take any notice, anyway

interested in

he isn't interested in his work

blame it all on ...

he just blames it all on everyone else - mainly those below him

mince words, comment on

he never minced his words when commenting on their behaviour

typical of sb

he would do something like that! it's so typical of him

one of those people who ...

he's one of those people who'll just never accept they've made the wrong decision.

bitchy

he's so bitchy

fake

he's so fake - D'you think so? In what way?

full of ...self

he's so full of himself

set ... apart

her timidity set her apart from her more outgoing sisters

justice in action

his eventual arrest was an example of justice in action

the city was hit by an economic downturn

however, during the latter part of that decade, the city was hit by an economic downturn that saw many factories close down and unemployment soar

the profound change, the gallery symbolises

however, fewer will be aware of the profound change that the gallery symbolises

it's important to recognise

however, it's important to recognise it was only one part of the strategy

undermine sb

if you undermine someone, you make them feel less confident

incompetent

incompetent

on the outskirts of the city

it also modernised what remained of its more traditional industries and attracted new companies to the technology park on the outskirts of the city

it's not worth it

it's not worth it

listen to sb carefully

listen to sb carefully

a flourishing city with a vibrant nightlife

many people will have visited the city just to see it and found a flourishing city with a vibrant nightlife

go over sb's head

maybe you need to go over his head and talk to his line manager about it

it's difficult to deny, it's been a success

nevertheless, it's difficult to deny it (the process) has been a success which has seen the city return to its previous population levels and survive the major recession that began in 2008

a key part of this process

obviously, constructing a series of major buildings designed by famous international architects was a key part of this process

so-called

other cities trying to replicate the so-called "Guggenheim effect" may have failed because they didn't take up the other strands of Bilbao's regeneration project

abandoned the city, contaminated land, condemned buildings

over the years, many factories closed down and thousands of people abandoned the city, leaving contaminated land and large numbers of condemned buildings

principled

principled

go on about sth (= keep talking about sth, especially when other people think it's boring)

All that rubbish about saving the world and helping the starving millions that he's always going on about

slacker, strike sb as ...

And the guy on the other side of me seems pleasant enough, but he strikes me as a bit of a slacker

get on ok with

Are you getting on OK with them all? - Yeah, more or less.

put up with

Are you willing to put up with that kind of behaviour, or would you rather have a more fulfilling relationship?

care about

Ask yourself how much you really care about him

have had enough of ...

Frankly, I would've thought you'd had enough of his behaviour by now.

hit it off with sb straight away

Have you ever hit it off with someone straight away?

share accommodation with sb

Have you ever shared accommodation with anyone? How would you feel about it?

assure sb

He assured me everything would be ok, but of course it wasn't. She assured them that she would be all right.

keep ...self to ...self

He certainly keeps himself to himself, anyway.

give away his millions

He made millions, but then gave it all away.

treat sb

He shouldn't be treating you like that

strive in vain

He strove in vain to convince her. She simply wouldn't listen

raise awareness

He's done a lot to raise awareness of various different causes and he works really hard to make a difference.

steady relationship

He's not interested in a steady relationship with you or he would have called you last month

drag down the rest of the team

He's not just messing up his own career. He's dragging us down as well.

How common is it for people ...?

How common is it for people to share accommodation in your country?

stick to your principles, abandon your principles

How important do you think it is to stick to your principles? Can you think of times when maybe it's better to abandon them?

bits and pieces

I bought a few bits and pieces at the shops

take over the bathroom

I can never get in the bathroom in the morning. She totally takes it over.

can't stand sb

I can't stand him

every now and then

I don't see her much any more but every now and then she gives me a call

not see much of ...

I haven't really seen much of the guy next door.

get sb wrong

I just think you've got him wrong.

stand up for

I quite admire the fact that he's prepared to stand up for what he believes in.

at lectures

I think he studies Medicine so he's either at lectures or studying

In the last couple of weeks, make excuses

I thought we were becoming really close, but in the last couple of weeks she's made excuses several times when I've asked her out

come to the rescue

I was really struggling, but Max came to the rescue and sorted everything out

go to trouble

I wouldn't have asked for your help, if I'd known you'd go to so much trouble. You didn't have to go to all that trouble for me.

I wouldn't say that.

I wouldn't say that.

feel happy about Ving

I'd feel happier about going if I knew someone else there

self-promotion

I'd say it's all just self-promotion.

bad news

I'm sorry to tell you that this guy is bad news

keep interrupting sb

I'm sorry, I shouted, but you kept interrupting me

I've always thought ..., come across as

I've always thought he comes across as a really decent guy

see sb

I've been seeing this girl for about 3 months now and I really like her

flirt with sb

I've noticed that she spends a lot of time talking to my best friend and flirts with him a lot.

to refuse to do sth

If I were you, I would refuse to see him for a while and see what happens

bothered

If he was really bothered, he'd give his millions away and really help people. He just likes to be seen to be doing good.

win sb back

If he's interested, he'll do everything to win you back. If not, you'd better end it now before you get hurt again

stick to your principles

If those are your principles, you've got to stick to them.

Act selfishly

If you ask me, he's acted really selfishly

go through huge changes

Life brings many changes - and I've gone through them all!

threaten to V

She threatened to leave if he didn't stop yelling

beg sb to reconsider

She wouldn't change her mind even though I begged her to reconsider

be a great laugh

She's a great laugh.

do your hair and your make-up

She's in there for hours doing her hair and her make-up

what're the people like?

So what're the people on your corridor like?

to stay with

Staying with this guy would be the worst thing you could do

drive sb mad

That'd drive me mad, that would!

knock down the slums

The buildings aren't fit to live in anymore so they've decided to knock them down.

bring in new restrictions

The new restrictions? Oh, they brought them in last year.

take over the bathroom

The only problem is she kind of takes over the bathroom every morning.

people in the public eye

There are plenty of people in the public eye who just aren't bothered about those things.

set up a recycling centre

There's a big recycling centre there. They set it up a few years ago.

no doubt in my mind

There's no doubt in my mind that he is using you

on purpose

she did that on purpose

get upset over sth

she's always getting upset over such trivial things

come over

she's from the States and came over to do a Master's in International Law

since its completion ...

since its completion in 1997, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the capital of the Basque region of northern Spain, has become one of the most famous buildings in the world

so how is it all going?

so how is it all going? (any better?) - I'd say things are worse (if anything), to be honest

suck up to sb

someone who sucks up to the boss wants to get a promotion

take things in one's stride

someone who takes things in his stride always remains calm

sounds like an idiot

sounds like an idiot to me

student residence, dorm

student residence, dorm

be faced with

suddenly we were faced with a very real problem

surely

surely Peter knows all about that!

developed service industries

the city improved transport links and created two metro lines, and also developed service industries such as hosting events and conferences

threats

the city was also affected by threats and acts of terrorism by the Basque Separatist group, ETA

peace and quiet

the only place where I can find a bit of peace and quiet is the park

rules and regulations

the research centre where I work has so many rules and regulations regarding health and safety!

voices of opposition

there have been some voices of opposition that suggest the process did not benefit many of the working-class people most affected by the original crisis

with a particular focus on

these included ongoing heavy investment in training and education with a particular focus on computing and technology

believe

they aren't sure what to believe in

oblivious to criticism

they seem oblivious to criticism, these people

to halt the decline, the city embarked on a strategy to reinvent itself as

to halt the decline, the city embarked on a strategy to reinvent itself as a centre for culture, tourism and new technologies

patch things up

to try to improve a relationship after there have been problems: You should go and talk to her and try to patch things up. Jackie and Bill are still trying to patch up their marriage. They finally patched up their differences. He is going to try to patch things up with his girlfriend.

dominated by steel plants and shipbuilding, brought wealth, choked the city

up until the early 80s, Bilbao had been dominated by steel plants and shipbuilding, which brought wealth but which also created heavy smog that choked the city

principled, have strong values

very principled people have strong values

long and hard

we looked long and hard for a suitable cafe, but nowhere looked very inviting

on and off

we've lived here on and off for the most of our lives

what really drives me mad

what really drives me mad, though, is the man's arrogance

exaggerate, take sb seriously

when someone exaggerates, you should not take them seriously

you're joking

you're joking, aren't you?

naïve

you're just naïve!

miss the point

you're missing the point of what I'm saying. that isn't what I meant at all

hit it off straight away

We hit it off straight away. - That's good, then.

embark on a strategy

We realised as soon as we embarked on it that it was a good strategy.

What's wrong with that?

What's wrong with that?

chatty

But the girl opposite is great. She's really nice and very bright and chatty.

end up spending money

Can you remember a time you ended up spending more money than you'd planned to?

raise awareness of ...

Can you think of any celebreties who try to raise awareness of a cause? What's the cause? What do you think about it?

have a difficult relationship

Do you know anyone who has a difficult relationship with their boss?

embark on a new career

Do you know anyone who's ever quit their job and embarked on a whole new career?

set up a company

Do you know anyone who's ever set up a company?

keep your mouth shut.

It'd be easier for him to just keep his mouth shut

sell more of

It's just to sell more of his music.

set out an ambitious plan

It's quite an ambitious plan, so make sure you set it out clearly.

It's really annoying

It's really annoying because we've only got the one bathroom

bother sb

It's started to bother me. What should I do?