This episode’s vocabulary
To loathe
verb — hate someone or something.
Monstrosity
noun — something that is very ugly and usually large.
Waterfront
noun — a part of a town that is next to an area of water such as a river or the sea.
To stand/stick out like a sore thumb
idiom — if someone or something stands/sticks out like a sore thumb, everyone notices them because they are very different from the people or things around them.
To put up
phrasal verb — to build something.
Order
noun — the state of working correctly or of being suitable for use.
Dull
adj. — not interesting or exciting in any way.
To defeat
verb — to win against someone in a fight, war, or competition.
Localized
adj. — happening in or limited to a particular area.
Post hoc
adj. — made or happening only after an event, not planned or decided before it happens.
Justification
noun — a good reason or explanation for something.
Bizarre
adj. — very strange and unusual.
Be the bee's knees
idiom — to be excellent or of an extremely high standard.
Forefront
noun — the most noticeable or important position.
Vast
adj. — extremely big.
Manifestation
noun — the appearance.
Avant-garde
adj. — avant-garde ideas, styles, and methods are very original or modern in comparison to the period in which they happen.
Needless to say
idiom — as you would expect; added to, or used to introduce, a remark giving information that is expected and not surprising.
In line with something
idiom — similar to, or at the same level as something.
Indepth
phrase — in a serious and detailed way.
Questions and answers
Rory, bring us your story.
Oh, I could go on for days about how much I loathe the Victoria and Albert Museum monstrosity they've built in Dundee. It's not hard to miss since it dominates the waterfront area of most of the city. And stands out from the local architecture like a sore thumb, almost as soon as you come into the city from the south by road or on the train coming over the water. I don't remember exactly how long it took to complete, but I think it was put up in rather short order. Which is the only good thing I could say about it, to be honest with you. It's a dull white building that looks like an alien spaceship. Although the architect apparently wanted it to look like the cliffs of a town further up the road from Dundee. Which sort of defeats the purpose of having it designed this way in Dundee. I mean, if we are going down the localised design road, then wouldn't it make more sense to make it look like something closer to home? Literally closer to home, I mean. I think it's just a post hoc justification of why it looks so bizarre. It's just been done for the sake of it, really. However, this is entirely in keeping with how my hometown sees itself at times. Which is to say, a lot of the people who live there think it's the bee's knees and at the forefront of everything. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case for the vast majority of things and people in Dundee for about 100 years. So this museum is more like a visual manifestation of this need to appear avant-garde. When the place is anything but that. You can see the way it's been built next to an exploration ship, which is almost 100 years old. It makes for quite the contrast because one is just a bizarre image and the other is quite interesting. It's got a clear connection to the past and the area. Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of this development. Though, I'm not at all surprised by it. If I had been in charge, it would be a lot more pleasing to look at and more in line with how the city actually is. Rather than how people would like it to be.
And what about your friends? What do they think about this new development?
I haven't really spoken in depth with them about it, but I don't think they're impressed either, to be honest with you.