Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb idiomatic to
feign death; to remain quiet and still to escape attention or remain undetected; tolay low . - verb idiomatic to
feign sleep, illness, etc. - verb idiomatic, dated to
dissemble or to feignignorance ; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb to pretend to be dead
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
English play + possum (from opossum), from the behaviour of the Virginia opossum, feigning death when threatened. First documented 1822.
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Examples
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whichbe commented on the word play possum
Opossums actually aren't "playing", they pass out from sheer terror.
May 7, 2008