Structure
Quote + とばかり（に）
Noun +（だ）+ とばかり（に）
Details
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Formal
使用域
硬い
Rare Kanji
許り
About とばかり（に）
とばかり is a construction that is often used to show that something is being done 'as if to say (A)', or 'seeming that (A)'. It is a combination of the case-marking particle と in its 'quotation' use, and the adverbial particle ばかり, exhibiting that something is 'basically exactly as described'. Due to this, とばかり simply indicates that while (A) is as described, it is not literally the case.
とばかり can appear after almost any word, as the と is creating a quote. に will often follow ばかり when the sentence is going on to describe what is actually happening.
とばかり can appear after almost any word, as the と is creating a quote. に will often follow ばかり when the sentence is going on to describe what is actually happening.
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中田選手のバランスが崩れたので、斉藤選手はチャンスとばかりに中田選手の太ももを蹴った。Since Nakata's balance was disrupted, Saito, seeing it as a chance, kicked Nakata's thigh.
- うちのわんちゃんが「待ってました」とばかりに尻尾を振って友達に飛びついた。Our dog wagged his tail and jumped onto my friend as if to say 'I have been waiting'.
- 先生が「俺の話聞いてるか」とばかりに生徒たちを睨みつけた。The teacher stared at the students as if to say 'Are you listening to me'.
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早くしろと言わんばかりに上司が何回も「まだ？」って聞いてきた。My boss repeatedly asked me, 'Are you done?' as if to say 'hurry up'.
- つまらないと言わんばかりの顔でみられたから、話すのをやめた。They were looking at me as if they were bored, so I stopped talking.
Caution
As とばかりに will be used to describe the way that something 'looks like it is about to say', it won't be used for describing the speaker themselves. However, it may occasionally be seen being used about the speaker if the sentence is in third person.Examples
小説：「 なかなかお目にかかれない美しい景色なので武はここぞとばかりにカメラを手にし、撮影した。」
Novel: 'It's a beautiful scene that you don't see very often, so Takeshi took the opportunity to grab his camera and take some pictures.'
ここ in this context means 'now', as in 'now is the moment I have been waiting/aiming for' and ぞ is used to emphasize determination. Therefore these expressions can be translated to 'take advantage of the opportunity' or 'grab the opportunity'.
小説：「洋服店に入るなり、長いことこのときを待っていたとばかりに、店員が声をかけてきた。」
Novel: 'As soon as he entered the clothing store, the clerk approached him, as if she had been just waiting for this very moment for a long time.'
小説：「もうあなたとははなしたくない」とばかりに彼はドアをばたんと閉めた。
Novel: 'He slammed the door as if to say "I don't want to talk with you anymore".'
スーパーで閉店が近づき食品などが割引される時間帯になると、主婦たちはここぞとばかりに多くの買い物をした。
As the closing time of the supermarket approached, when food and other items were discounted, housewives took the opportunity and did a lot of shopping.
「おまえも黙れ」とばかりに手でテーブルを叩いた。
She slammed the table with her hand as if to say 'Silence!'.
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How to use ばかり
Maggie Sensei
とばかりに
Japanesetest4you
とばかりに
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