play possum | Idiomator

Meaning: (idiomatic)Tofeigndeath; to remain quiet and still to escape attention or remain undetected; tolie low.Thinking fast, weplayed possum, hoping the bear wouldn't bother us.The soldierplayed possum, fooling the sniper.To keep the focus away from his client, the lawyer basicallyplayed possumduring the entire complex trial, and his tactic paid off with an acquittal.1886October –1887January,H[enry] Rider Haggard,She: A History of Adventure, London:Longmans, Green, and Co., published1887,→OCLC:What happened to Job after that I am sure I do not know, but my own impression is that he lay still upon the corpse of his deceased assailant, "playing 'possum" as the Americans say.; (idiomatic)Tofeignsleep, illness, etc.When we used to get home late at night, I wouldplay possumso my daddy would carry me inside and put me in bed.; (idiomatic,dated)Todissembleor to feignignorance; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive.1833, Asa Greene,A Yankee Among the Nullifiers: An Auto-biography,page32:Though, as it afterwards turned out, the Yankee had money enough about him, and was merelyplaying the ’possumall the while.1840,Edgar Allan Poe,The Business Man‎[1]:Never imposing upon any one myself, I suffered no one toplay the possumwith me.1858,James Russell Lowell, in a letter toO.W. Holmes, collected inThe Complete Writings of...p31You have been holding-in all this while —possumus omnes, we allplay the ’possum...1881, Alexander Lovett Stimson,History of the Express Business,page354:As none came with the coach from Deadwood, I suppose the amount of funds was insignificant. You can't tell, though, for the stage company is liable toplay possumsometimes.

Examples:

EN: Now don't you play possum with me.
ES: No te hagas el tonto conmigo.
EN: - When you can't get away, Mr. Stewart, you play possum.
ES: Cuando no se puede escapar, Sr. Stewart, se juega a hacerse el muerto.
EN: Well, we can play possum too.
ES: También podemos jugar al escondite.
EN: The Hirogen aren't the type to play possum.
ES: Los Hirogen no son del tipo sutil.
EN: No need to play possum with us, boy.
ES: No hay necesidad de fingir con nosotros, muchacho.
EN: look at him play possum now.
ES: Mirad cómo disimula.
EN: Way to play possum.
ES: Forma de jugar zarigüeya.
EN: Just play possum and they'll leave you alone.
ES: Háganse las zarigüeyas y no los tocarán.
EN: Maybe so, but I know how to play possum.
ES: Tal vez sea así, pero sé cómo hacerme la zarigueya.
EN: Don't you play possum.
ES: No te hagas la tonta.
EN: The lenders know of this situation but play possum.
ES: Los prestamistas son conscientes de esta situación pero hacen oídos sordos.
EN: Cats don't, like, um, play possum, do they?
ES: A los gatos no les gusta, um, hacerse los muertos, ¿verdad?
EN: You're gonna face the music, eat some humble pie, hug it out, play possum,
ES: Vas a afrontar la situación, mostrarte arrepentida, abrazaros como hermanos, hacerte la derrotada,
EN: They play possum.
ES: Juegan zarigüeya.
EN: I'll play possum on the right.
ES: Jugarézarigüeya a la derecha

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