IdiomDaily Life
Swedish
Swedishspel för galleriet
Meaning: To do something misleading or false primarily to impress or deceive an audience or group of observers.
Literally: Play for the gallery
Example: “Politikerns tårar var bara spel för galleriet.” — The politician's tears were just playing to the gallery.
English equivalent: To play to the gallery
Equivalents in other languages
French: Épater la galerie Literally: To astound the gallery
English: play to the gallery
Origin: From the theater: the gallery held the cheapest seats, whose audience applauded broad, showy acting. Playing to the gallery, a 19th-century English phrase, is acting for effect to win easy approval, and Swedish spel för galleriet is a translation of it.
More Swedish idioms
- ha luktat krutrök To be experienced in battle or conflict; to have been tested under fire.
- ingen ko på isen There is no danger or immediate problem; the situation is safe.
- djungelns lag Survival of the fittest; a state of lawlessness where brutal competition and violence det…
- reta gallfeber på To infuriate or enrage someone intensely.
- lägga vantarna på To get hold of something; to seize or obtain.
- gräva sin egen grav To cause one's own ruin or downfall through foolish actions.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- If a man says little he thinks the more. Silence often reflects deeper contemplation, while excessive speech betrays shallow reaso…
- One scabbed sheep infects the whole flock. A single corrupted member spreads moral or practical contamination throughout an entire c…
- Scald not your lips in another man's pottage. Don't suffer harm by meddling in others' affairs or accepting their risky situations as y…
Keep exploring