Foreign phrases for "overacting"

June 15, 2008 10:00 PM

foreign phrases for "overacting"

In English, there's "hamming it up", and my personal favorite
"chewing the scenery".

What are the turns of a phrase that you use in your native tongue to describe Shatneresque performances?

posted by zeraus to writing & language (3 comments total)

in french : "cabotiner" or "surjouer" might be what you are looking for.
posted by Baud at 2:05 AM on June 16

In Russian: переигрывать (pereígryvat') for habitual action or something happening now; for a single occurrence: переиграть (pereigrát'). (Not my native tongue, but I trust that doesn't disqualify the answer.)
posted by languagehat at 10:10 AM on June 16

Japanese: 大げさに演じる
In roman letters: oogesa ni enjiru
Pronunciation: Ohh-gay-sah-knee ehn-jee-roo

To overact, or to perform exaggeratedly.

Note that this is not a colloquialism like "hamming it up", but is the "proper" way to say it in Japanese.
posted by Vorteks at 11:43 AM on June 16