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

You could see where he’d thrashed around, but now he was quiet, playing possum.

From Literature

“I’m not so sure what you two find so funny about alligator eating habits. Lying across the road playing possum is how that gator hunts.”

From Literature

Any chance that the M’s were playing possum with Marte and Arroyo?

From Seattle Times

After running the simulation thousands of times, the researchers found that “playing possum” indeed helped the antlions: It increased the survival rate in a given patch by about 20 percent.

From New York Times

At first, I considered playing possum — not responding.

From Los Angeles Times