GRAMMAR DETAIL

〜とばかりに

as if to say

Shows that a person's expression, gesture, or action seems to clearly convey a thought that was not spoken aloud.

Examples

彼はもう十分だとばかりに、資料を閉じて席を立った。

As if to say that he had had enough, he closed the documents and stood up from his seat.

子どもは早く遊びたいとばかりに、外へ飛び出した。

As if to say that he wanted to play right away, the child dashed outside.

Structure: Attach とばかりに to the content of a thought or utterance to describe an action or expression conveying it in place of spoken words.
Basic usage: 彼はもう十分だとばかりに、資料を閉じて席を立った。 means that he closed the documents and stood up as if to say that it was enough.

Actual speech compared with と言って
- もう十分だと言って席を立った states that he actually said those words. もう十分だとばかりに席を立った reads that attitude from the act of standing up.
Keeping だ in the content clause
- もう十分だとばかりに connects the imagined statement もう十分だ directly to と. Do not add だ when the content ends in an i-adjective form, as in 早く遊びたいとばかりに.