spela allan

Swedish

Alternative forms

Etymology

Literally "play allan." Believed to be from the tough guy roles often played by actor Alan Ladd (1913 – 1964).

Verb

spela allan (present spelar allan, preterite spelade allan, supine spelat allan, imperative spela allan)

  1. (idiomatic, colloquial) to act tough or superior (with implied ridiculousness)
    En kille i bar överkropp kom in på baren och skulle spela allan
    A shirtless guy walked into the bar and wanted to act tough ("was going to play allan")
    Han sparkade sönder baklyktan för att spela allan för polarna
    He kicked out the taillight to act tough in front of ("play allan for") his buddies

Conjugation

Conjugation of spela (weak)
active passive
infinitive spela allan spelas allan
supine spelat allan spelats allan
imperative spela allan —
imper. plural1 spelen allan —
present past present past
indicative spelar allan spelade allan spelas allan spelades allan
ind. plural1 spela allan spelade allan spelas allan spelades allan
subjunctive2 spele allan spelade allan speles allan spelades allan
present participle —
past participle —

1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

References

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