Java is considered verbose for a number of reasons. It has a number of variable modifiers, it uses long names(which are generally good but can be stupid, especially in some cases of identifying multiple abstraction levels), and because it lacks type inference for generics and collection literals. c frequently makes the opposite mistakes with tiny cryptic or non whole word names. C lacks generic programming, it does do a decent job with initializers but unfortunately those can only be used at initialization.
Understanding the precedence and order of evaluation of operators is fundamental to mastery of any programming language (chapter 2.12 in K&R). All C code must "rely on" the order of operations, and if an indirect assignment through a pointer with post-increment is confusing... well that's the point I was making in the first place.
The idiomatic C style is so natural to me now I don't see it as a defect to fix or a game I'm playing. It's how I learned to program in C because I learned from K&R, and if they aren't the authorities I don't know who is. When I see wordy and bloated Java-style code it reminds me of the years I spent writing COBOL. Ultimately, though, it's not efficiency or a desire to show off or confuse other programmers that influences my style. To me code that does what it needs to with no extra fluff is beautiful.
When I see
I know what it does -- I don't need any comments or "descriptive" variable name or an explicit test for a null byte to make it clearer. If a programmer comes across a line of code that he or she doesn't understand the fault may be with the author, but it may be with the reader. In my experience there are a lot of unskilled programmers who quickly decide that any code they look at is badly written and should be thrown out. I don't think I should dumb down my code just so programmers less fluent with C can understand it. I have to consult a dictionary sometimes when I read Cormac McCarthy or Nabokov but I don't think they should write with easier words for my sake.