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English Dictionary - With Multi-Lingual Search Your Query of 'play possum' Resulted in 1 Matches Displaying Items 1 through 1 Definitions play possum verb (inf=to play possum, plays possum, playing possum, played possum) (idiom) to feign death; to remain quiet and still to escape attention or remain undetected; to lay low. Thinking fast, we played possum hoping the bear wouldn't bother us. The soldier played possum, fooling the sniper. To keep the focus away from his client, the lawyer basically played possum during the entire complex trial, and his tactic paid off with an acquittal. (idiom) to feign sleep, illness, etc. When we used to get home late at night, I would so my daddy would carry me inside and put me in bed. (idiom, dated) to dissemble or to feign ignorance; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive. 1833, Asa Greene, A Yankee Among the Nullifiers: An Auto-biography, http://books.google.com/books?id=ko4sW-LohpIC&pg=PA32&dq=%22playing+the+possum%22&lr= p32 :Though, as it afterwards turned out, the Yankee had money enough about him, and was merely playing the "possum all the while. 1840, w:Edgar_Allen_Poe, Edgar Allen Poe, s:The_Business_Man, The Business Man, http://books.google.com/books?id=60cMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA166&dq=%22play+the+possum%22&lr=&as_brr=1 :Never imposing upon any one myself, I suffered no one to play the possum with me. 1858, w:James_Russell_Lowell, James Russell Lowell, in a letter to w:Oliver_Wendell_Holmes,_Sr., O.W. Holmes, collected in The Complete Writings of... http://books.google.com/books?id=ntQ6AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA31&dq=%22play+the+possum%22&lr= PPA31,M1 p31 :You have been holding-in all this while " possumus omnes, we all play the "possum... 1881, Alexander Lovett Stimson, History of the Express Business'', http://books.google.com/books?id=S6QaKvPM8uAC&pg=RA1-PA354&dq=%22play+possum%22&lr= p354 :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 to sometimes. <!-- More old 1800's cites for 'possuming' and 'play possum' here: http://books.google.com/books?id=SJYSAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA675&dq=%play+possum%22&lr --> Translations:  Etymology: English (term, play) + (term, possum) (from (term, opossum)), for the animal"s tendency to pretend to be dead when threatened. First documented 1822.        Find:   Words Starting With:   Words Ending With:   Words Containing:   Words That Match:    Translate Into:    Dutch   French   German    Italian   Spanish Enter your search terms Submit search form   Web www.allwords.com Browse the Dictionary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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