Unit 3

Word

Definition

Example

identify your strong selling points

to recognise the particular qualities that make you attractive to employers, etc

When preparing your CV, it's important to identify your strong selling points

warrant a second look

to be worth examining, looking at again more closely

It is important to warrant a second look at what you have in front of you

play to your particular strengths

to use your particular strengths in order to get what you want

He plays on his particular strengths to get the most out of his team

leave a problematic digital footprint

to leave information on the internet as a result of your activity online which could later cause problems

His online research had left a problematic digital footprint, which led to difficulties with his employers

jeopardise a person's chance

to risk losing or spoiling an opportunity that a person has

Arguments with the boss may jeopardise your chance of promotion

spread the word

to tell other people about something

He has been spreading the word about ways to beat heart disease

aggravate the problem

to make the problem worse

Air pollution may aggravate the problem

alleviate boredom

to make boredom less difficult to deal with

During long shifts, they watched films to alleviate boredom

boost morale

to increase or improve levels of confidence positive feelings

The wins have boosted team morale

ease stress levels

if you ease stress, it gradually improves or becomes less

These breathing exercises ease stress and calm the mind

engender distrust

to be the cause of the feeling that someone cannot be trusted

His aggressive behaviour engendered fear and distrust

exacerbate divisions

to make the problem of disagreements within a group worse

The new policies only exacerbated divisions in the company

strengthen bonds

to make the relationship/things that unite people stronger

The experience strengthened his bonds with the local community

be a wet blanket

to spoil other people's fun, for example by refusing to join them in something enjoyable that they are doing

They thought he was a middle-aged wet blanket

be flooded with spam

to receive so many unwanted/unsolicited messages that you cannot deal with them all easily

I was flooded with so much spam that I had to change my email address

ideas flow

ideas come steadily and continuously, without anything stopping or interrupting them

The conversation was lively and ideas flowed

keep your head above water

to manage to continue to live on your income or keep your business working when this is difficult because of financial problems

If I get this raise, we'll just about keep our heads above water until next year

pour out your frustrations

if you pour out your frustrations, you tell someone all about your feelings of frustration because you feel very unhappy

She sat down and poured out all her frustrations to him

take a long time to trickle down

to take a long time for the people in a lower group to start to feel the effects of something that has been done to a higher one

It took a long time for the benefits of the changes to trickle down to the lower paid workers

water something down

to make a statement, report etc less forceful by changing it or removing parts that may offend people – used to show disapproval

The report of the investigation had been watered down

screen freezes

if a computer or a computer screen freezes, the image on the screen will not change because of a problem with the computer

My screen froze, and I had to reboot the computer

allocate resources

to give resources to a particular person, organisation etc

I spoke to the official who was in charge of allocating the resources

bridge the gender pay gap

to reduce or get rid of the difference in the pay between women and men

They promise to bridge the gender pay gap, starting with women working part-time

eliminate discrimination

to put an end to the practice of treating one person or group differently from another in an unfair way

We aim to eliminate discrimination in the workplace

encourage diversity

to make the inclusion of many different types of people more likely

The new policies encourage diversity in the institution

enforce regulations

to make people regulations

The regulations are strictly enforced

shape policy

to influence a way of doing something and make it develop in a particular way

Experience of unemployment has shaped the party's policy

stand up for

to support or defend a person or idea when they are being attacked

It's time we stood up for our rights

tackle inequalities

to deal with problems of unfair situations, in which some groups in society have more money, opportunities, power etc than others

There is more than one way to tackle inequalities in this company

cast a vote

to vote in an election

In 1996,8, 605 people cast votes for mayor, including 6,570 for Owens

exit polls

the activity of asking people how they have voted in an election in order to discover the likely result

Early exit polls suggested he was the clear winner

far right/left

having extreme left-wing or right-wing political opinions

He is on the far left of the party

head of state

the main representative of a country, such as a queen, king, or president, who may not have duties in the country's government

The party chairman is also head of state

hereditary monarch

king or queen who can pass on the title to a younger person in the same family, usually when he/she dies

In this country, we have a hereditary monarch

liberal political views

political opinions in favour of gradual political and social changes

He had liberal political views on issues of crime and punishment

manifesto

a written statement by a political party, saying what they believe in and what they intend to do

The Tories are due to publish their manifesto tomorrow

on the left

favouring left-wing views

She has always been more on the left that he has

right-wing

a right-wing person or group supports the ideas and beliefs of capitalism

The organisation is very right-wing

secret ballot

a way of voting in which people write their choices on a piece of paper in secret, or an act of voting in this way

The chairman was elected by secret ballot

spin

to describe a situation or information in a way that is intended to influence the way people think about it – used especially about what politicians or business people do

Supporters attempted to spin the bill's defeat to their advantage

written constitution

a written set of basic laws and principles that a country or organisation is governed by

A written constitution forms the fundamental law of the nation

field of work

an area of activity that people are involved in as part of their work

She is interested in the latest developments in her field of work

prioritise

to put several things, problems etc in order of importance, so that you can deal with the most important ones first

You need to prioritise your tasks

shared values

Shared values are values that people have in common

I have many shared values with my friends

social aspect

the social part of a situation, idea, plan etc that has many parts

We are interested in the social rather than the financial aspect of the problem

sound financial footing

financial conditions that are good, and likely to produce the right results

Their business has a sound financial footing

toxic culture

a culture that is disrespectful, abusive or unethical

His bullying tactics created a toxic culture in the office