play possum

Cultural  

1. To pretend to be dead, a trick used by opossums to defend themselves from predators: “Everyone thought the old con man had died, but it turned out he was just playing possum.” By extension, it also means “to pretend to be asleep, or to lie low”: “Come on, Harry, open your door. You can't play possum forever.”

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play possum Idioms  

1. Pretend to be dead or asleep, as in Max always plays possum when it's time to clean up his room. This expression alludes to the fact that the opossum falls into an apparent coma when caught, giving the appearance of death. [1820s]

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Example Sentences

If the 49ers reach for Mac Jones, any chance Kittle might play possum?

From Washington Post • Apr. 28, 2021

“Alternative viewpoints”? It’s exasperating to watch a smart woman play possum like this — not just in the interviews but in the writing, especially when her conclusions don’t tell us anything we didn’t know before.

From New York Times • Jan. 23, 2020

The Huskies just love to play possum, it seems.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 28, 2012

He could, they were quite aware, "play possum" with rare skill, deliberately keeping in the background until "things shook down a bit" and then with one or two bold gestures reassert his leadership.

From Time Magazine Archive

It lay perfectly still, even when touched, its eyes being half closed, as, guided by instinct, it tried to "play possum."

From Johnny Bear And Other Stories from Lives of the Hunted by Seton, Ernest Thompson