〜んばかり(に・の)

as if about to, almost

Verb ない-stem + んばかり(に / の / だ) (する → せんばかり)

んばかり means something is so intense it looks as if it's about to happen: 彼女は泣き出さんばかりの顔をしていた, "she looked as if she was about to burst into tears".

It attaches to the ない-stem: 泣き出す → 泣き出さ + んばかり, 割れる → 割れ + んばかり. The ん is the classical volitional む. It's usually followed by の + noun, or に + verb.

Set phrases include 割れんばかりの拍手 ("thunderous applause"), あふれんばかりの笑顔 ("a beaming smile") and 飛び上がらんばかりに喜ぶ ("jump for joy").

言わんばかりに means "as if to say", and とばかりに (N1) is the other way to say it. Plain ばかり means "only".

Examples

彼女かのじょは泣なき出ださんばかりの顔かおをしていた。
She looked as if she was about to burst into tears.
会場かいじょうは割われんばかりの拍手はくしゅに包つつまれた。
The hall was filled with thunderous applause.
彼かれは「お前まえが悪わるい」と言いわんばかりに、私わたしをにらんだ。
He glared at me as if to say it was my fault.
彼女かのじょはあふれんばかりの笑顔えがおで迎むかえてくれた。
She greeted us with a beaming smile.
合格ごうかくの知しらせに、彼かれは飛とび上あがらんばかりに喜よろこんだ。
He practically jumped for joy at the news that he'd passed.