There was and is no way that I would ever make a provocative gesture in heir presence.
Of course, even to title an essay "Darwinism" is a provocative gesture.
Other sports have penalized players for taunting and committing provocative gestures.
It would be hard to find a more provocative gesture short of standing on their graves and burning the American flag.
The visit was seen as a provocative gesture by many Palestinians, who gathered around the site.
It had, how-ever, avoided the provocative gesture of taking up low Earth orbit.
"And doing needlework was the most provocative gesture I could think of."
Under almost any circumstances, that could be reasonably interpreted as an overtly provocative gesture.
The timing of the test meant that it would be seen inevitably as a highly provocative gesture.
How could that not be seen as a provocative gesture at this time?