state-of-the-art	the most advanced, the most developed
in the forefront	the most important, forward position
no strings attached	with no special conditions, restrictions
a sniffy attitude	arrogant, contemptuous
din	a confusing, loud, continuing noise
to turn up one's nose at sth	to treat sth with contempt
runner-up	having the second position in a competition
to earn, win one's spurs	to achieve fame, appreciation of others
to engender sth	to be the cause of sth
disgruntled	resentful about sth
sweltering	uncomfortably hot
to overlook sth	to fail to notice/ to have a view
a leg up for sth	sth that helps, influences sth
to burnish	to polish sth to make it glossy
burnisher	sth that you use to make sth more attractive
a growing body of sth	a growing amount of sth
rationale	a fundamental reason for sth
to bolster	to strenghten, to reinforce
to stash	to gather and keep in a safe place
a stash	a place where sth is hidden
mental acuity	the sharpness of one's mind
underway	commenced, started, in progress
perks	advantages of sth
under one's belt	having achieved, learned sth
the rule of thumb	rough, practical, sth used to achieve, assess sth