translation help?

[mfy4444]

Could some Italian-speaker please help me with what I think is a slang expression: "ha spaccato le scatole." The literal translation of "broke the boxes" or "broke the cans" makes no sense in English, is there another way of explaining what this means? I get a sense that it is something along the lines of making someone angry at you, or making them not want to talk to you...

I'm making some English-language translations of an old Italian comic strip called "Sturmtruppen" for some friends, most of the time I can figure things out or find online what certain slang expressions or folk sayings mean, but this one there seems to be no help on the internet. The dialog I am translating is like this:

One German soldier says about the Italian character ("Galeazzo Musolesi"): "Come sta andando la campagna di pubbliche relazioni di Galeazzo Musolesi?"

The other soldier replies: "A gonfie vele"... ha gia' spaccato le scatole a tutto il reggimento..." (as this is happening, Galeazzo is approaching another soldier who is clearly ignoring him, saying "Ho detto: Salve, camerata!")

Not quite on-topic for this forum (though it is a comic strip set during World War II, with an Italian character in these frames), but any help in letting me make sense of "spaccato le scatole" as used here is appreciated. I think from context it means "he's already pissed off (or alienated might be a better English word) the whole regiment..."

Regards and thanks

Mike Yaklich

[mfy4444]

Okay, I answered my own question: found an online site giving Italian curse words and slang, apparently it means "busting one's balls"...

I was close to getting it from context...

Sorry to take up the forum's time.

Mike Yaklich

[Dili]

Means putting everything clear but in the sense that might creates even more problems.

[Lupo Solitario]

anyway, it 's a pleasure seeing "Sturmtruppen" appreciated abroad....