Rule reminder
Similar idioms differ in: (1) intensity ('andare su tutte le furie' > 'perdere le staffe'), (2) direction (you do for others: 'togliere le castagne'; others do to you: 'essere alle strette'), (3) timeframe ('rimandare alle calende greche' = forever; 'fare le cose a metà' = incomplete now), (4) social focus ('fare bella figura' = public impression; 'essere al settimo cielo' = private emotion).
For years, Alessandro did all the difficult administrative work for his department while his manager, who rarely came to the office, received all the recognition and bonuses. Which idiom describes Alessandro's role?