play possum

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  Play

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

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Finnish: tekeytyä kuolleeksi — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• French: faire le mort — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Georgian: თავს იმკვდარუნებს (tavs imḳvdarunebs) — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• German: sich tot stellen — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Greek: κάνω τον ψόφιο κοριό (káno ton psófio korió) — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Hungarian: halottnak tetteti magát — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Hungarian: nem ad életjelet — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Hungarian: meglapul — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Hungarian: lapul — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Hungarian: lapít — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Italian: fingersi morto — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Korean: 죽은 척 하다 (jugeun cheok hada) — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Central Kurdish: سەگەسەگە کردن (segesege kirdin) — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Polish: udawać trupa — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Polish: udać trupa — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Portuguese: fingir-se de morto — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Portuguese: fazer-se de morto — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Spanish: hacerse el muerto — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Swedish: spela död — to pretend to be dead; lie low
• Hungarian: alvást színlel — to feign sleep, illness, etc.
• Hungarian: megjátssza, hogy alszik — to feign sleep, illness, etc.
• Hungarian: úgy tesz, mintha aludna — to feign sleep, illness, etc.
• Hungarian: betegnek tetteti magát — to feign sleep, illness, etc.
• Hungarian: betegséget színlel — to feign sleep, illness, etc.
• Japanese: 狸寝入りをする (tanukineiri o suru) — to feign sleep, illness, etc.
• Korean: 잠든 척 하다 (jamdeun cheok hada) — to feign sleep, illness, etc.
• Polish: symulować — to feign sleep, illness, etc.
• Swedish: låtsassova — to feign sleep, illness, etc.
• Hungarian: tudatlanságot színlel — (dated in English) to dissemble or to feign ignorance; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive
• Hungarian: úgy tesz, mintha semmiről nem tudna semmit — (dated in English) to dissemble or to feign ignorance; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive
• Hungarian: játssza a tudatlant — (dated in English) to dissemble or to feign ignorance; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive
• Polish: udawać ignorancję — (dated in English) to dissemble or to feign ignorance; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive
• Polish: udać ignorancję — (dated in English) to dissemble or to feign ignorance; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive