Trying to understand this sentence


> まるで腹を空かせた野良犬が飛び掛るかのように、性急で品性に欠けた仕草が目立った。

All I can translate is: "Just like a hungry dog she jumped about...." and
maybe "a gesture that stands out" at the end.

As for the questions: 1) why is 腹を空かす used with the potential form? 2) I don't
understand this part "性急で品性に欠けた". A character that lacks impatience? It should
be the other way around, so I must get it wrong.




In regards to your first question, in this context 空{す}かせる is the _causative_
form of 空｛す｝く.

As for your second question, it is important to realize that the word 仕草{しぐさ}
is the subject of the sentence, and is modified by everything that came before
it.

So, let's start with

> 仕草{しぐさ}が目立｛めだ｝った

It means, "the gestures stood out/were conspicuous." What kind of gestures?

> **性急｛せいきゅう｝で品性{ひんせい}に欠{か}けた** 仕草が目立った

The gestures are impatient (性急) and (で) lacked dignity (品性にかけた). The sentence
is made even more vivid with a simile:

> **まるで腹を空かせた野良犬が飛び掛るかのように** 、性急で品性に欠けた仕草が目立った。

