← Back to Fala2Me

make a show of trying

[meɪk ə ʃoʊ əv ˈtraɪɪŋ]
verb phrase
fingir que está tentando / fazer de conta que está se esforçando
1. To pretend to make an effort or attempt something while not genuinely trying or intending to succeed
He made a show of trying to fix the car, but he never really looked under the hood.
Ele fingiu que estava tentando consertar o carro, mas nunca realmente olhou debaixo do capô.
2. To perform the appearance of effort for the benefit of others, often insincerely
She made a show of trying to convince him, but everyone knew she didn't really care.
Ela fez de conta que estava tentando convencê-lo, mas todos sabiam que ela realmente não se importava.
NYC Slang
phoning it in / half-assing it
Synonyms
pretend to trygo through the motionsfake an attemptmake a pretense of tryingfeign effort
Antonyms
genuinely trymake a sincere effortearnestly attempt

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
fazer de conta que está tentando / fingir que está se esforçando
Common colloquial usage
Rio de Janeiro
fazer teatro / botar uma atuação
More informal, theatrical connotation
São Paulo
fingir que está tentando / fazer blefe
Direct and matter-of-fact expression
Portugal
fingir que está a tentar / fazer de conta que se está a esforçar
European Portuguese with 'a' construction

Related Idioms & Phrases

go through the motions
put on a show
play-act
fake it
put up a front
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →