Plain language – with no word at all

The Centro Storico of Rome these days(?) shows a lot of construction areas. There are, however, also some places that in other parts of the world would have been declared dangerous, here being still open for pedestrians.
A drain, some 5 inches above level of the rest of the pavement, could be an example. It became a “striking” example for a Roman pedestrian, some 50 years of age and visibly bad- tempered that day, walking down his way absentmindedly and thus not being aware in time of the obstacle. He bumped into the cement, flung around – but did not “go down”.

Then, however, he turned round his view and his body in a spiral only the Italians can perform, threw up his arms in a great gesture which allowed him to give way to all his anger without saying a single word. The English “translation” of his gesture into plain language would undoubtedly have been: “There you’re hanging around in your dull city planning offices, you …… ….holes, while I have to risk life and limb on the pavements you don’t repair”.