A taxi cuts you off in Rome. A Mumbai merchant spurns your best offer. A maitre d' snubs you in Beirut. At times like these, words can fail even the most seasoned polyglot. But now salvation is literally at hand, thanks to Rude Hand Gestures of the World, by Romana Lefevre, with photographs by Daniel Castro. If I'd had a copy of this in my days as a boy diplomat, my Foreign Service career would have come to an even more abrupt halt! Herewith a sampling, courtesy of the ever-brilliant Chronicle Books, of how to throw down with the locals, wherever you are:

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