play possum

Meaning

1. (idiomatic) To feign death; to remain quiet and still to escape attention or remain undetected; to lie low.
2. (idiomatic) To feign sleep, illness, etc.
3. (dated, idiomatic) To dissemble or to feign ignorance; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive.

Synonyms

keep quiet

lie low

play dead

pretend to sleep

Translations

fingir-se de morto

fazer-se de morto

fingersi morto

sich tot stellen

faire le mort

hacerse el muerto

sich schlafend stellen

hasta numarası yapmak

zich ziek houden

zich doodhouden

se fingir de morto

fingir dormir

Etymology

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