Close-up p 54. Listening (WB p 30)

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Vocabulary
slant (on something/somebody) a way of thinking about something, especially one that shows support for a particular opinion or point of view. Sp. punto de vista, enfoque.

• She put a new slant on the play.
• Her book looks at his writings from a feminist slant.

side-note: /ˈsaɪd nəʊt/ a spoken or written comment that provides additional, but not essential, information to the subject that is being discussed. Sp. nota al margen. E.g. An interesting side note is that covers of the song also became big hits online. 

bear down (on) 
1. Literally, to press down hard on a surface or item. E.g. I bore down on the eraser, but I still couldn't fully erase my drawing. Really bear down on the bandage there—more pressure will slow the bleeding until we get to the hospital.
2. To put forth one's maximum effort toward something. E.g. If you want to get a passing grade this semester, you'll really need to bear down on your studies. If you'll just bear down, you'll pass the test. Now that the games are over, I can really bear down on my studies. To finish this job you'll need to bear down and work very hard.
3. To move closer to someone or something, usually in an intimidating or frightening way. E.g. I'm going over the speed limit, so I have no idea why this car is bearing down on me. We ducked into a store to avoid the angry man who'd been bearing down on us. The storm bore down and ravaged the island.

strip away: to remove something. Sp. quitar. E.g. If you strip away all the rhetoric, you're left with an opinion that isn't backed up by facts. His book aims to strip away the lies and show the world as it really is.

max out | max something out (informal) to reach, or make something reach, the limit at which nothing more is possible. Sp. llegar al límite. E.g. The car maxed out at 150 mph. 2. I maxed out all my credit cards (= reached the spending limit on each one).

telling: significant. Sp. revelador. E.g. telling information, telling evidence. 

ease: lack of difficulty.

• with ease He passed the exam with ease.
• The ease with which she learns languages is astonishing.

gruelling: /ˈɡruːəlɪŋ/ very difficult and making you very tired, needing great effort for a long time. Sp. agotador. E.g.

• a gruelling journey/schedule
• I've had a gruelling day.

expedient:  /ɪkˈspiːdiənt/ (of an action) useful or necessary for a particular purpose, but not always fair or right. Sp. conveniente

• The government has clearly decided that a cut in interest rates would be politically expedient.
• The government found it expedient to relax censorship a little.

whopping: /ˈwɒpɪŋ/ very big. Sp. Enorme.

• The company made a whopping 75 million dollar loss.
• You are entitled to a whopping 40% off the recommended retail price.

stumble:   

1. an act of falling or almost falling, especially because you hit your foot against something. Sp. Tropezón.

• After a slight stumble backwards, he regained his balance.

2. a problem or temporary failure when you are on the way to achieving something.

• There were good reasons for the team's first-round stumble against Los Angeles.

neglect somebody/something to fail to take care of somebody/something. Sp. descuidar.

• She denies neglecting her baby.