Well, just as a suggestion, we have pretty much hi-jacked this thread away from it's original purpose and that is upsetting to some who may have wanted to discuss the original OP. So he may just not want to contribute to our delinquency.
Be as silly as you like... most people here are somewhere! Anyways, the best tip I can give if you think someone is going to come down hard on you is to make eye contact; if you are assertive that way, and look as though you'll stand up for yourself, they are less likely to be confrontational. They're bullies after all.
That's a good point too. I remember when my manager was trying to get to people, I would stare at him in a "don't think you can start on me" kind of way and he soon backed down and left me alone.