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An example phrase from
[プログレッシブ和英中辞典](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/je2/20383/m0u/%E7%9C%A9%E3%82%80/)

> 目もくらむばかりの宝石の山 a dazzling heap of gems

Can ばかり here be safely replaced by ほど, くらい etc. without changing the meaning?
Is this how ばかり+の (with ばかり working as a pseudo-noun here, I assume?) preceded
by a predicative form works, to emphasize the predicate?
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2015-05-11T10:54:24.077
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2016-04-20T18:19:56.660
2016-04-20T18:19:56.660
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question
grammar particle-ばかり
ばかり usage in 目もくらむばかりの宝石の山
Your assumption is right. That ばかり was originally used in the form of
目もくらまんばかり, which meant "so much that you are only escaping being dazzled" →
"so much that you are nearly dazzled". In that sense, it's interchangeable as
you said. And, if there's a difference from ほど・くらい at all, it could be that
ばかり's version is a rhetorical expression and thus, could sound more
impressive.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-12T08:19:01.370
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2015-05-12T08:19:01.370
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answer