とばかり（に）

As if (to say), Seeming that

うちのわんちゃんが「待まってました」とばかりに尻尾しっぽを振ふって友達ともだちに飛とびついた。

Our dog wagged his tail and jumped onto my friend as if to say 'I have been waiting'.

Explanation

「とばかり（に）」 means 'as if saying ...'. The speaker did not hear the words, but from the person's face, movement or look, it seems they had the words written on their face. The words themselves are often quoted before it.

「『今がチャンスだ』とばかりに」 (as if saying 'now is the chance').

It describes a third person only, never the speaker.

Fixed phrases: 「ここぞとばかりに」 (seizing the moment), 「待ってましたとばかりに」 (as if they had been waiting for this).

Mixed up with

「とばかりに」: preceded by what someone seems to be saying; the subject is a person who 'speaks' through actions.

「んばかりに」: the ない form without 「ない」 plus 「ん」; it says something is at its limit and about to happen, as in 「割れんばかり」 (about to break) or 「泣かんばかり」 (about to cry). There are no quoted words.

Easily confused withとばかり（に）・んばかりに: the difference ›

Examples

先生せんせいが「俺おれの話はなし聞きいてるか」とばかりに生徒せいとたちを睨にらみつけた。
The teacher stared at the students as if to say 'Are you listening to me'.
「おまえも黙だまれ」とばかりに手てでテーブルを叩たたいた。
He slammed his hand on the table as if to say, 'You shut up too!'
ランナーが通とおり、ここぞとばかりに声援せいえんを送おくりました。
As the runners passed, the crowd seized the moment and cheered them on.
中田なかた選手せんしゅのバランスが崩くずれたので、斉藤さいとう選手せんしゅはチャンスとばかりに中田なかた選手せんしゅの太ふとももを蹴けった。
Since Nakata's balance was disrupted, Saito, seeing it as a chance, kicked Nakata's thigh.
早はやくしろとばかりに上司じょうしが何回なんかいも「まだ？」って聞きいてきた。
My boss repeatedly asked me, 'Are you done?' as if to say 'hurry up'.
つまらないとばかりの顔かおで見みられたから、話はなすのをやめた。
They looked at me as if to say I was boring, so I stopped talking.
盗賊とうぞくたちが待まっていたとばかりに通行人つうこうにんを止とめたのです！
As if they had been waiting, the robbers stopped the passersby!
桜さくらは、今いまこの時ときを待まっていたとばかりに花はなびらを広ひろげています。
The cherry blossoms are opening their petals as if they had been waiting for this very moment.
社長しゃちょうに呆あきれたとばかりにため息いきをつかれて、クビを覚悟かくごしました。
Being sighed at by the president as if to say he was exasperated, I readied myself to be fired.
殺ころすぞとばかりに面識めんしきのない人ひとを突つき飛とばした彼かれは逮捕たいほされました。
Sending a stranger flying as if to say ‘I’ll kill you!’, he was apprehended.
この問題もんだいの解決かいけつは任まかせろとばかりにウインクをしてきた上司じょうしに恋こいをした。
I fell in love with my boss who winked as if to say ‘Leave solving this problem to me’.
小説しょうせつ：「もうあなたとは話はなしたくない」とばかりに彼かれはドアをばたんと閉しめた。
Novel: 'He slammed the door as if to say "I don't want to talk with you anymore".'
スーパーで閉店へいてんが近ちかづき食品しょくひんなどが割引わりびきされる時間帯じかんたいになると、主婦しゅふたちはここぞとばかりに多おおくの買かい物ものをした。
As the closing time of the supermarket approached, when food and other items were discounted, the housewives did a lot of shopping as if to say, 'This is our chance!'
小説しょうせつ：「洋服店ようふくてんに入はいるなり、長ながいことこのときを待まっていたとばかりに、店員てんいんが声こえをかけてきた。」
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.'
小説しょうせつ：「目めの前まえで起おこっていることなのに、皆みな信しんじられないとばかりに目めを見開みひらいていた。」
Novel: 'Even though it was happening right in front of them, they still looked at it with eyes wide open as if saying that they cannot believe this.'
小説しょうせつ：「なかなかお目めにかかれない美うつくしい景色けしきなので武たけしはここぞとばかりにカメラを手てにし、撮影さつえいした。」
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.'