Play possum

verb

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To feign death; to remain quiet and still to escape attention or remain undetected; to lie low. idiomatic

    "Thinking fast, we played possum, hoping the bear wouldn't bother us."

  2. 2
    to pretend to be dead wordnet
  3. 3
    To feign sleep, illness, etc. idiomatic

    "When we used to get home late at night, I would play possum so my daddy would carry me inside and put me in bed."

  4. 4
    To dissemble or to feign ignorance; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive. dated, idiomatic

    "Though, as it afterwards turned out, the Yankee had money enough about him, and was merely playing the ’possum all the while."

Etymology

From play + possum (“from opposum”), from the behavior of the Virginia opossum, which feigns death when threatened. First use appears c. 1807.

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